A Future Past, a New Fate
by SquiddlyDiddly
Summary: The future was always uncertain for a girl like Lucina. When an accident occurs that sends her and Morgan to a time that she's never seen before, it seemed that fate was never going to be on her side. Now stuck in a village called Berk in an unfamiliar body, she must force herself to adapt to this new world, all while finding her brother. Set post HTTYD 2, before 3. Slash. TF.
1. Prologue

**Hey all, it's your boy SquiddlyDiddly here with another fic!**

**… Yes, I'm going to finish this one.**

**Anyhow, I've had this little plot bunny running around my head for what feels like forever, and I've been working hard to get as much done on this fic as I can. I've got an outline done for the first half of the story, and I'm currently working on the chapters as you read, actually. Hopefully y'all like what I've done here, because I am extremely pleased with how this story has come out so far.**

**So without further ado, please enjoy…**

**A Future Past, a New Fate**

* * *

Prologue: A Bright New World Out There

**Bold - Dragon Speech**

'Apostrophe' - Thoughts

"Quote" - Speech

_Italic - Flashback_

* * *

"Let's go, move it, move it!" Brady yelled to his cousins/siblings, waving them over as he began running towards the portal that Morgan, Lucina's brother, had created with much strain and energy. The last survivors of Grima's conquest all said various affirmatives, before following in Brady and Lucina's footsteps, the latter having gone ahead to make sure that any surprise risen were dispatched and taken care of. She definitely didn't put it past the apocalyptic dragon to resort to underhanded tactics.

The blue-haired heir panted as she finally made it to the glowing blue disk, running up to her brother to make sure he was alright. "Morgan, how are you feeling? Is everything stabilized?" She frantically asked, their only chance at freedom from this hell on earth lying in the young tactician's hands. Said tactician grimaced as he pumped some more magic into the portal, his massive reserves starting to wane. "Urgh… this is a lot harder than I thought it would be… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, sis," he admitted, his attention focused entirely on the portal, any wrong move would result in any number of things going wrong. He wanted to make sure they got to the past safely, even if it meant he had to stay behind. Knowing he might die for his friends… he had come to terms with this fate if it did transpire. He shook his head, returning his concentration to the pure energy flowing from his fingertips 'I trust Lucina… I know she'll find a way to get us all through!' He told himself, renewing his efforts to keep the portal from collapsing.

Lucina's eyes flashed with worry for her little brother. "Morgan… I'm so sorry. Just a little longer." She assured, not wanting him to hurt himself, but knowing that this was the only way they could prevent this disaster from happening. She had one mission and one mission only; save her family and destroy Grima once and for all. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of many different footsteps, indicating that the rest of their little band of rebels had arrived.

Owain gaped at the portal, his eccentric showing itself. Actually, when was it not showing itself? "Well, my friends, today is the day that we, as warriors, embark on a grand mission to save our world from the evil clutches of Grima! I can hardly contain my sword-hand's wish for the blood of that foul beast!" He exclaimed passionately, complete with the over-the-top gestures that they knew oh so well. Severa scoffed, folding her arms. "Ugh, do you ever not act like a child? Our lives are at stake here, Owain! The least you could do is act like it!" She shot at the blonde Myrmidon. Cynthia was the opposite, throwing her arms up in a cheer. "Yeah! Great speech, Owain!" She complimented. Noire tried to hide behind her bow, not wishing to look directly at the blue glow of the portal. "I-I don't know if I'm r-ready for this…" she muttered to herself, shaking with fear as she gripped the pendant her mother gave her. Laurent said nothing, simply studying the portal with a fascinated expression. Nah was trying to calm Yarne down, whispering encouraged words into the Taguel's ears as he tried desperately to not break down crying or run away. Brady put on a brave face as he stared the portal down, his eyes starting to collect tears. "I'm almost home, ma…" Gerome was also silent, his face expressionless as he calmed Minerva. Kjelle was stone faced as usual, glaring at the portal as if she was trying to win a staring contest. Inigo seemed to be doing a prayer to Naga, which was strange. 'He usually isn't the religious type, but I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures,' Lucina thought to herself, giving all of her family a glance over. It was a miracle that they were all still alive, and she intended to keep it that way. No matter the cost, she would save them. She would save them all.

Donning the butterfly mask Mother had made her when she was younger, Lucina looked over to Morgan and nodded, who nodded back before twisting his hands slowly, revealing a swirling vortex that would supposedly bring them to the past so they could fix this broken future. She turned back to her own Shepherds, almost smiling despite herself. "Alright, let's go. We don't have much time before Grima and the risen arrive, so be quick." She ordered, stepping to the side so the rest of them could go first. Owain was the first to go, jumping into the vortex with a battle cry. Inigo and Brady both jumped at the same time, following right behind Owain. Gerome gathered Minerva before flying through the portal, the wyvern's strong wingbeats almost knocking over the rest of them. Severa huffed in annoyance before charging through, her scowl still on her face even as she was sucked into the vortex. Kjelle steadied her spear and shield before charging forward, her heavy armor making loud clanks as she bowled through the portal. Cynthia was watching her friends and family go through the vortex, a smile on her face before she reined in her Pegasus, trotting through to join them. Nah reached for Yarne's hand, who reluctantly took it after some consideration, and then pulled herself and the extremely surprised Taguel, his yells of shock quieted by the energy emitting from the portal. Laurent took a breath, before simply walking into the portal and letting it carry him away. As expected, Noire was the last one to go, as she was currently trying to build up the courage to follow her friends. As she thought of her friends, she thought of all the times that they had lost someone they loved. How they mourned. They didn't deserve to be hurt like that.

It made her angry.

"RrrAAAGH! I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR GUTS OUT, GRIMA!" Noire suddenly yelled, clutching the pendant even tighter as she dashed into the portal, her screams being carried with her.

That just left Lucina and Morgan, who was sweating from the exertion the portal was putting on his mana reserves. Lucina sighed, relieved that her friends made it through without much trouble.

A huge, deafening roar pierced the skies, causing Lucina to yell out in shock and cover her ears, along with Morgan, who accidentally cut ties with the energy flow to the portal, the vortex starting to destabilize as it was running out of energy to sustain itself. The princesses eyes were filled with fear, as she realized that Grima had found them. And he was almost upon them.

She hurriedly rushes over to her brother, grabbing the robed boy as he nearly collapsed, his energy spent. 'No no no no no… we have to get out… we have to save our future…' she thought frantically, dragging him over to the rapidly closing portal, the blue energy starting to fade from existence. Her heart stopped. If the portal closed, she and Morgan were doomed.

But with how slow she was when she was dragging her brother, they would never make it in time. How would they…?

An idea hit her. A crazy one, but it's all they've got.

She realized that they only had one shot at this, as the sounds of risen approaching met her ears. "Morgan, when I say now, cast Elwind at our feet!" She frantically urged, reaching into her near comatose brother's coat and holding a green covered book. Weakly, he grasped the book and flipped it open, a greenish glow almost immediately responding to Morgan's mana.

She turned back to the portal, positioning herself and Morgan so they would fly directly to the portal. Once she was satisfied, she lowered her knees. "NOW!" She yelled, looking back at Morgan. The young man nodded weakly before firing off the wind spell, creating just the right amount of force to send them soaring towards the rapidly closing portal.

The Risen that led the pack could only watch helplessly as their targets sailed through the vortex before the portal closed for good, sealing off the entrance to the future.

That was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

* * *

Berk was an unusual place for sure.

Just a few years ago, the island of Berk was in a constant fight for survival from the dragon raids. Each night was a terrifying hope that the next day wouldn't be your last, and if the dragons didn't get to you then starvation would.

Now, however? Now the dragons were actually their allies. They helped them live, get food, repair their buildings… honestly, sometimes Hiccup just sat back and wondered how he even managed to do all this? Hel, he was the one who ended the war and he still didn't know!

But that was all in the past. Now he had only one focus, and that was the people of Berk.

His people.

The Chieftain of Berk sighed contentedly as he gazed down at the village, Toothless sitting beside him, almost half asleep. "Now this is the life, eh bud? No worries, no enemies… it's nice to lay back and relax every now and then." He spoke, more to himself than the overgrown lizard next to him. Said lizard rumbled softly in reply, not moving from his curled up position in the grass. Hiccup playfully rolled his eyes. 'Honestly, sometimes I wonder how he's so lazy yet so lively at the same time.' He mused, knowing just how riled up his partner can get if he's given something he likes or if somebody he likes gets hurt.

Hiccup sat in silence for a couple more moments before pulling out his map of the world, deciding to figure out which way they'll be going next. "Let's see here… we went North last time so maybe… we could try going past Scauldron Island and more to the west…" He muttered to himself as he pulled out a small stick of charcoal and began to plot out a plan of travel. After defeating Drago and gaining the remnants of his army along with Valka on their side, threat of attack has been reduced to near none, so he could go back to completing his map of the world. He would have to finish it at some point, anyway. A completed map of the archipelago would help immensely with travel, basically eliminating blind flying and guessing games.

While he was sketching a course, he didn't notice Toothless suddenly perk up, his eyes wide and alert and his ear-fins standing up straight, as if listening for something. He swiveled his neck left and right, searching for the source of whatever noise he had heard with his superior hearing, before stopping to stare directly at the entrance to the forest behind them.

"So, bud, I was thinking that we could go-" he paused, noticing Toothless' behavior. "Toothless? Is something wrong?" He asked, folding up his work-in-progress map as he rose to his feet. His friend seemed to be extra alert for some reason, his eyes focused on the line of trees standing before the forest. 'What is he looking at? There's nothing over there. Unless…' He glanced at Toothless, noting that his ear-fins were standing up, as if he was listening for something. "Did you hear something, bud?" He asked.

Toothless didn't answer, simply staring at the trees, listening intently. Hiccup was starting to get confused. What had captured the dragon's attention to the point where he was ignoring his friend and rider?

Suddenly, Toothless's left ear-fin flicked slightly, and he took off into the forest, his powerful legs making long strides as his midnight-black form disappearing into the foliage. Hiccup stared for a couple seconds, before groaning in frustration. "Oh, for the love of Odin, can I have one second to relax around here?!" He exclaimed, exasperated, before running after his best friend, albeit at a much slower pace because, y'know, he wasn't a dragon.

* * *

The forests of Berk were a stark contrast compared to the hectic town. While the civilized part of the island was bustling with merchants, traders and civilians alike, there was no such activity here. Everything was calm and collected, and the peace here was broken only by the occasional viking (namely Hiccup) wanting to take a walk through the woods. The wind seemed to quell the wild environment and lightly shook the trees as if greeting any who visited, and the birds added to that feel as they sang to the passerby. All in all it painted a beautiful picture, and seemed to calm anyone's minds who entered.

That peace was abruptly broken when a loud BANG sounded out in a clearing deep in the forest, a huge blue flash of light enveloping the leaves and grass. The wildlife nearby were startled, and scattered away from the unknown light, vacating the scene of the disturbance almost as soon as it appeared.

The light shot through the trees for a good two minutes, before it suddenly disappeared, the sun allowed to shine down on the clearing once again. Nothing seemed to be disturbed by the phenomenon, but one thing was different. Lying in the center of the clearing, partially hidden by the bushes, was a dragon. Not just any dragon, but a Night Fury. It seemed a tad smaller than the normal Fury, and of slimmer build, suggesting that it was female. Its wing's are slim and looked flexible, and it's claws looked extremely sharp and deadly. Normally a Night Fury's scales were jet-black in order to blend in with the night sky, but this one had a deep, dark-azure coloration, almost navy blue.

That wasn't the even the most unusual thing about this Night Fury, however. This dragon used to be human not five minutes earlier.

And she was about to be in for the shock of her life when she finally awoke.

* * *

Lucina moaned softly to herself when she woke up, her body just beginning to transition from unconscious to conscious. Her body ached with a fierceness that she only felt after one of her eight-hour training sessions, and she hadn't had one of those in months after deeming them unhealthy as they put too much strain on her body. So why did she feel so exhausted? She wondered if this was how Morgan felt after pulling one of those 'all-nighters', as he called them. Seriously, when was he going to get that he was too important to be tired all the time? Without a tactician, they were relying on her very limited tactical experience.

Then it hit her. Their escape. The portal. Grima finding them.

Morgan.

Lucina's eyelids shot open as she finally remembered what had transpired, and she rose up in a sitting position, ignoring her terribly achy body and the foreign unnaturalness the simple act brought. Her eyes widened at what greeted her vision. Lush, green trees dominated her view, the wind which didn't smell of death lightly shook them. Bushes sprouted up here and there, and flowers, actual flowers, added a variety of colors to the beautiful scene.

They had done it. She was here.

She felt something wet on her cheek that she quickly identified as her tears. It has been so long since she last saw any trees with a green so vibrant, and the land here just brimmed with life, and oh, Gods, the smells! She could actually take a deep breath without gagging! This is what she was fighting for, what she had sacrificed everything for. Seeing this reality that she had only seen before in her wildest dreams… it was all too much.

But she still had a long way to go. Reigning in her emotions, showcasing an incredible control over her feelings, she wiped away her tears-

She blinked.

Why did her face feel… scaly?

Her brow furrowed, and only now did she acknowledge that something in her body felt terribly off, like something had changed and she didn't even know.

She looked down, and almost did a literal double-take at what she saw. Where she expected to find her legs completely normal clothed with her boots and tights. Instead, there were two huge scaly paws, covered with rows upon rows of dark blue scales.

Her breathing caught in her throat once she lifted one of her arms and the left paw responded. 'No… no no no no no no,' she thought frantically, desperately trying to believe that what she was seeing was a dream. An illusion created by Grima to break her mind.

But it wasn't. She could feel every single little thing about her new body. How her head felt flattened, the new ears on sitting on top of it and twitching at the smallest noise. She could hear everything around her, even her own heartbeat. She could feel new muscles on her back, and without even looking she knew that they were wings, plunging her into despair even further as she moved them involuntarily, almost as if they were moving based on pure instinct alone. Her breathing quickened as she started to hyperventilate, her eyes darting over her new blue-scales form. "**No no no no NO!**" She yelled out in despair and anguish, her anxiety furthering as she heard her voice. It sounded warbly and unnatural, like a much quieter version of Grima.

Grima… she was the same species as the one who tortured her day and night, the one who made sure she got no sleep and no rest day in and day out.

"**This can't be happening… THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!**" She screamed, flopping around uselessly as if trying to get away from her own body. Her wings flared out in reflex and then folded back in as she had a complete emotional breakdown, her new tail getting tangled with her limbs. She desperately wanted to run. Run and hide from the ones she loved so they wouldn't see the monster she had become.

What would they think if they saw her? Would they know it was her? Would they think she was just some new Risen of some kind?

Would they strike her down without a second thought?

They would only see her as some mindless beast now… a beast that shared species with the source of their despair.

Her anxiety waned and her energy exhausted, she did the one thing she could do in this situation.

She laid limp and wept.

* * *

As Toothless dashed through the forest that he was so familiar with, his mind wandered to the distant roar he had heard from earlier. He felt bad for leaving Hiccup behind like that, but right now there was no time to waste. He heard another Shadowshifter.

If this turned out to be true and not another thing set up by trappers, then this could be huge, and he was pretty sure it wasn't a trap. It sounded too genuine, too accurate to the real thing. Sure, he didn't have much experience with others of his species, but he knew enough to know what was a true Shadowshifter call. That was a true call. It held so much emotion behind it, too much to simply be some sort of dragon calling stick like the ones Hiccup blew through to imitate other dragons. He still didn't know how he created those…

Caught up in his thoughts, Toothless didn't notice the tree until it collided with his face.

He grunted in pain as he headbutted the tree, leaving a very large dent in the bark of the trunk. "**Oooogh… didn't mean to do that…**" He groaned, clutching his head with a paw as he soothed the oncoming headache. He's usually a lot better at reacting to his surroundings. One has to be in order to be a great flier. "**Guess I'm more caught up in this than I thought,**" He growled lowly, shaking his head side-to-side as he climbed back to his feet, intending to continue his search. Thinking about where he heard the roar from, he turned his head to the right, noting a clearing that he had visited from time to time that seemed oddly… barren. In fact, it seemed like something had been here recently, judging from the trampled bushes and the flattened grass. Even the stone on the right had peculiar markings on it. 'Maybe…'

He slowly crawled into the clearing, making sure to stay quiet so he didn't alert anyone of his presence. If this dragon was violent, he did not want to just barge in like a bat out of hell. Once he was entirely out in the open, he paused, taking a look around the small meadow before his eyes wandered over to what he thought was a rock. He inspected it from a distance for a moment, noting that the peculiar markings that he saw from further away were actually scales. This was the Shadowshifter he was looking for!

It took every bit of willpower he had to not just pounce onto the other Shadowshifter, showering it with affection for he had finally found another of his species. What if they rejected him? Attacked him? There was too much that could go wrong.

He carefully crawled up to the silent dragon, crouching low as he did so. He had to make sure he appeared as unthreatening as possible so that they didn't take his presence the wrong way. Just one Sight-Share, that's all he wanted. That was all it would take.

Then Hiccup decided to ruin the party.

"Toothless… Bud… wait up!..." The Viking exclaimed as he burst through the foliage surrounding them, panting loudly as he stopped to catch his breath. Toothless eyes turned to slits as he whipped around to face his human, glaring at him. Hiccup took a step back when he saw his best friend's expression. "**You idiot, be quiet!**" He hissed, letting his anger get the better of him for a second.

* * *

Lucina realized quickly that her ears were now much more sensitive, taking in the smallest noise around her. She learned this from hearing a crash in the distance, followed by a roar.

Her eyes snapped open from the pitiful sobbing she was doing, and her neck craned as she tried to see what direction it was coming from. That roar didn't sound like anything she had heard before, and desperately hopped it wasn't a new kind of Risen.

Her sharper eyes were scanning the landscape before her, and her ears were up and alert as she listened hard. Fighting to survive made one good at observing potential battlefields, as spotting Risen ambushes was critical in the future. Grima was known to turn to underhanded tactics, after all.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw something black shift in the darkness, catching a glimpse of what looked like a bright green eye staring away from her. That did not make breathing easier in the slightest, her subconscious phobia of dragons surfacing as she eyed the black-scaled lizard with terror. Her eyes widened as the dragon shifted, noticing that it turning to it's left and would be staring right at her.

Realizing that she had nowhere to run, she acted on instinct and quickly curled into a ball, tucking her wings and tail in so she appeared to be just a boulder with strange markings on it. Holding her breath, she prayed to whatever Gods were above her that she would be able to survive this day and figure out what happened to her body. 'Please don't notice me please don't notice me,' she thought frantically in her mind, her heart rate increasing tenfold when she heard heavy footsteps enter the clearing, crushing the leaves underneath what sounded like a heavy paw.

She held her breath, listening for any noise that would give away how close the dragon was. It was silent for a couple beats, but she wouldn't allow herself to breathe until she was sure that it was gone. The last time she was sure that their enemy was gone a Revenant almost got her whole squadron killed, so she was going to be extra careful this time around.

She waited with bated breath as she strained her ears, trying her hardest to listen for any noise whatsoever.

Nothing.

'... Maybe it's gone-'

"Toothless… Bud… wait up!..." A voice called, followed by lighter footsteps that sounded out a few yards away.

She sucked in a breath, her pupils unknowingly turning to slits. Who was that? A person? Dragons couldn't talk like that, could they?

Another voice, this one much deeper and distorted, growled back at the smaller voice. "**You idiot, be quiet!**" The deeper voice shot back, her heart skipping a beat from just how close it was to her. 'Oh Gods oh Gods oh Gods,' her thoughts were running a mile a minute as she realized that the heavier voice was the dragon she was attempting to hide from. It must have snuck up on her silently to move in for the kill. How could something so big move so quietly? What does she do in a situation like this? She had basically zero control over her body right now, so she had no way of escaping if the dragon decided to attack. She took a moment to try and calm her breathing, trying as hard as she could to be silent while taking deep breaths. 'If I'm going to die… I'm going to go out with a fight.' She told herself, though not really believing it herself.

Swallowing her fear, she lifted one of her wings with her right paw, just high enough to peak at her attacker. Her breathing stopped completely when she laid eyes on the dragon, her eyes widening with fear and trepidation. It was pitch-black in coloration, it's acid green eyes staring right at her with surprise. It's wings were folded on it's back but still looked powerful, and it's claws looked deadly.

"**AAAAGH!**" She yelled out in shock, her fear taking hold of her judgement. Her chest throbbed painfully as a pit formed in her stomach, anxiety pounding at her head and lungs as she jumped to her four feet, scrambling away from her possible assailant. She might have frightened the dragon with her reaction as well, judging by the way it's eyes widened, and how it reeled back in surprise. She breathed heavily, clumsily stepping over herself to get as far away as she could from the monster. "**S-Stay back!**" She ordered, her voice wavering with fear. She knows that she wouldn't stand a chance against this dragon if it decided to attack.

* * *

Toothless was confused, to say the least.

When the Shadowshifter decided to poke her head out of her little hiding spot, (if one could even call it that) he was a little taken aback because one, the Shadowshifter was a female, which definitely surprised him, and two, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Her dark blue scales shimmered lightly in the sunlight, and her brilliant blue eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy. 'Oh… my…' his entire body seemed to freeze up, not knowing what to do in this situation. He's never seriously talked to a female before, never seeing the need to since he was the last of his kind. Now, however? Another Shadowshifter that was female? No one would pass this opportunity up!

Then the Shadowshifter screamed, leaping up to her feet in a panicked frenzy. Toothless, in turn, flinched and jumped back a couple feet, obviously not expecting such a dramatic reaction from the dragon. Her breathing was uneven and quick, giving away her obvious anxiety, and her eyes darted here and there, the blue marred with fear. "**S-Stay back!**" She ordered, her voice wavering in uncertainty. Toothless noticed that her posture was unbelievably clumsy and unrefined, yet tensed as if she was about to pounce on her prey. 'Why is she so tense? Doesn't she realize how important this is? There hasn't been two Shadowshifters under the same wing in years! This could save our species!'

But the way she composed herself in front of him… maybe something traumatic happened in her past? It wasn't uncommon for dragons to be highly afraid of a certain species due to some event in their past. 'Maybe if I show I mean her no harm, she'll calm down some…'

Toothless took a small step forward, the female's eyes darting down to his paw and back up to his face. He noticed this, quickly stepping back to where he was before. "**I don't want to hurt you, I'm just here to say hi,**" Toothless assured, loosely spreading his wings in a show of peace between them. Presenting your wings to another dragon was a tremendous show of trust in the dragon world. Your wings are your entire life. If something were to happen to them, only an experienced Aür user could repair them, and those are few and far between. Leaving them so open for attack lets the other dragon know that you trust them with your life.

What he didn't know, however, was that this Shadowshifter was completely unaware of dragon customs or rituals, and all she saw was a terrifying dragon bearing over her with it's wings outstretched, as if trying to trap her in it's embrace. She instinctively growled, causing Toothless's wings to fold back slightly in uncertainty. "**And how do I know your word is true, dragon?!**" Lucina shot with pure venom in her voice, her hatred for Grima leaking into her mind and corrupting it with unfathomable anger.

Now that threw Toothless for a loop. Every dragon in the world knew that lying to another of your kind was a violation of honor. If one were to lie to another in a large nest, then the entire nest would know by the next day, basically branding that dragon as an outcast for the rest of their life. It was a big deal. So for this random Shadowshifter to call him a liar? That was uncalled for, especially when he was just trying to, oh, I don't know, save his species? He scowled back at her, the look of anger on her face being replaced by one of fear once again. "**What do I have to gain from lying to you? We're the last of our kind, it's our duty to save our species!**" Toothless shot back, causing the female to shrink back further every time he raised his voice.

Hiccup, who was off watching the interaction silently from the side, quickly realized that something had gone wrong in his bud's meeting with the other Night Fury. For a couple minutes everything seemed to be going good, but then they started roaring at each other like they were arguing or something. "This doesn't look too good…" He muttered to himself, watching as Toothless roared back at the blue Night Fury, said dragon looking more and more terrified with each passing second. He was making big strides in his Dragonese, so he could make out most of their conversation. From what he's heard, Toothless was trying to get the female to understand that he didn't want to hurt her, but she wasn't having any of it, basically calling him a liar. He knows just how important honesty was in the dragon society, so he didn't know why she would bring that up. What he did know, however, was that this was going to get out of hand if he didn't do something. So, taking a deep breath, he quickly jumped up from the place he was viewing the interaction from, and ran in between the two of them, holding out his arms to keep them from attacking each other. "Woah, woah, settle down, you two, I don't want to come up with an excuse for why you burned down a forest, bud," He said, turning to his friend with the last line. Said dragon snorted and rolled his eyes. "**It's not my fault she called me a liar…**" He muttered, shooting a look at the female dragon, who glanced away, not wanting to look him in the eye.

Hiccup smiled lightly, shrugging. "She might just be scared." He turned to the other Night Fury, Hand still outstretched. He noted her posture, mainly how tensed up she was. Time to turn on the ol' dragon charmer. "Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you. Far from it, actually," He said reassuringly, slowly stepping towards her. He wanted to appear as non threatening as possible, his palm open and relaxed in a sign of peace, and his movements slow and relaxed. It seemed to be working, the Night Fury's tension starting to loosen up slightly, her muscles relaxing ever so slightly, which was interesting. Why did this dragon seem to be more comfortable in the presence of a human?

Well, it really doesn't matter. All that really matters is that she was calming down. "That's it… That's it…" he whispered, his hand almost upon her snout. The dragon eyed the hand with an indescribable emotion in her eyes, before suddenly closing the gap between the two of them, his hand coming to lay on her scaly skin.

Now, Hiccup has a strange ability. When he touched a dragon on the right spot, he can feel what they're feeling, and they can feel what he is feeling with great detail. Nobody knows how exactly he came to possess such an incredible ability, but he wasn't complaining. It made training and taming dragons much easier for him. Usually dragons only feel a couple emotions at a time, save for the smarter dragons such as Toothless, who can feel and think almost exactly like a human can.

He didn't expect to be punched in the gut with a wave of overpowered feelings upon contact with her snout. His mind was almost overwhelmed with the amount of emotion just pouring out of the Night Fury's mind, fear, apprehension, anxiety, anger… and sadness. So much sadness. The amount of loss and grief that this Fury felt… just what had she gone through?

He released his contact with a gasp, stumbling back and falling onto the grass with a grunt. He sat there for a moment, trying to catch his breath after the emotional rollercoaster he was just on. Toothless, being the overprotective lizard he was, was quickly down by Hiccup's side, looking worriedly at his friend. "**Hiccup! What happened? Are you alright?**"

Hiccup nodded slowly, still reeling from the sheer amount of emotion was just pumped into him. "Y-yeah… I'm fine, bud," He replied, shaking his head slowly to rid himself of the disorientation. 'What in Odin's ghost was that?!'

* * *

When the human had approached her with his arm reaching out towards her head, she initially was very confused. Was he a wyvern-rider? How was he able to calm the dragon so easily?

Why did she feel the need to let him close the gap between them?

It might've been because he was human and she was infinitely more comfortable around humans than dragons considering her past experience with them, but it almost felt… supernatural. Like something deep in her mind was telling her that she would be safe if she stayed near this man.

Seeing no way that the small man could hurt her, much less kill her, she decided to do just that and lean into his touch, the soft skin lying lightly on her rough scales.

A sudden wave of calming, reassuring emotion rolled over her like a summer breeze, her mind enveloped almost like a warm blanket. She could feel curiosity and intrigue, reassurance, a tad bit of worry…

Most of all, she felt… safe.

It reminded her of…

* * *

_Don't you worry, Lucina, me and your mom will be back before you know it._

_Dad, please, I don't want you to go!_

_… I'm sorry, my little princess, but we don't have a choice. I'm sure you understand._

_… I do, but I don't… wanna…_

_Haha, you and me both._

_Promise me you'll be back, alright?!_

_… I promise, Lucina._

* * *

… It reminded her of father.

The connection between her and the human was abruptly cut off, both of them reeling back from the amount of emotion the two of them held. Lucina stared intently at the human, her mind running a mile a minute. 'Wh-what… what was…' That had to be the strangest experience she's ever felt. Where did those emotions come from? Did they come from the man in front of her? She had so many questions…

The dragon that she had been afraid of earlier quickly crouched down in front of the man, worry evident on his features. "**Hiccup! What happened? Are you alright?**" He growled softly, pushing his snout into the human's chest. The now named Hiccup stared ahead blankly for a moment before nodding slowly, getting back up onto his feet. "Y-yeah… I'm fine, bud," he softly replied, giving the dragon a small smile.

She paid no mind to the two close friends at the moment, however. She was still reeling from the familiarity of the sensation. 'Father… I…' that touch from this man, Hiccup… it felt so much like him.

She felt something wet on her cheek before she could stop herself, and she held back a sob. 'Godsdamnit… why now? Why can't I just let go?!' She roared at herself in her mind, shutting her eyes tight as she willed her crying to stop.

It didn't. It never did.

* * *

~Hiccup~

I held a hand to my head, groaning as I slowly got to my feet.

"What in Thor's name…" I muttered to myself, still recovering from the wave of emotion that had just rolled over me. I've had this strange ability to feel what a dragon is feeling since the first time he touched a dragon, and I've never felt such raw sadness before. It was the sadness I had felt for my dad's death multiplied by ten. It was… overwhelming.

My best friend crooned softly, nudging me in the side with his head. "**You don't seem okay… what even happened just now?**" The overprotective lizard asked, worry in his eyes. I smiled, always happy to hear that he cared. "Yeah, it's just… when I connected with her, her emotions… there was so much negativity. So much sadness… I guess it overwhelmed me," I answered, not entirely sure what had happened myself. I didn't have any time to process her true feelings, just the surface ones, but if those were the surface feelings? I could only imagine the pain and turmoil that must be hidden deep in her subconscious.

I perkep up as a soft sob from my left brought me out of my thoughts. It was quiet, yet held so much anguish in such a simple noise. 'Was that… the Night Fury?'

My attention turned from one worried dragon to one clearly distraught dragon. The Fury had curled up into a ball, her tail wrapped around the front of her as if it was a protective shield, her wings folded as tight as they could against her body. Her body shook lightly, her head buried into her two front legs. Then I realized something.

She was crying.

I had never seen a dragon cry before. It seemed like they always tried their hardest to appear strong in the presence of others, so it was jarring to see one break down in front of him and Toothless, her quiet sobs wracking her body. Even Toothless seemed taken aback, his mouth open slightly as he stared at the female with shock.

What does one do in a situation like this?

I was never the best at comforting people, my attitude was mostly good for making people angrier at me. So I wasn't going to be much help here.

I glanced over at Toothless, noticing the intense worry in his eyes.

… Maybe this required something more than a human's touch.

I gently nudged Toothless with my right hand, briefly feeling his worry for a dragon that he had just met today. I knew why he was worried. They were the last two of their kind, and he immediately had felt a sort of connection with the female Fury. I knew what he wanted to do. When he silently turned to me, those big green orbs gazing into my soul as I did his, I gestured towards the distraught female Fury. Toothless seemed taken aback, his eyes widening as he glanced back at the dragon. I nodded, waving him towards her. "If there's anyone who can help right now, it's you, bud," I whispered. He seemed hesitant for a moment, eyeing the dragon with apprehension, before he let out a sigh and slowly walked over to her.

* * *

~Toothless~

I can't believe I let myself get talked into this.

I tried to calm my raging heart as I looked at the shaking form of the other Shadowshifter, her soft sobs like knives to my heart. What could I do? I had no idea why she was so emotional. I've never even interacted with another one of my species before… I was treading on unexplored grounds right now.

You have to do something, a small voice in the back of my mind said. I scoffed. I know that, but how to follow through with that was the hard part.

I was never the most emotional dragon, and since the dragons had feared me for most of my life I didn't have much social practice. That was part of the reason I had bonded so quickly with Hiccup. We had so much in common, regardless of species.

I silently laid myself next to her, her shaking coming to a halt as her muscles stiffened in apprehension. I could feel the fear that she felt, towards me in particular. I couldn't for the life of me understand why. Sure, I lived in basically isolation during the Queen's reign because all of the others were afraid of my power, but these days were different. I was the alpha. Dragons always respected their alpha.

So why was she afraid?

I sighed, unsure of what to say. "**... Sorry if my human did something to upset you. He's not very good at socializing,**" I said to her, trying to lighten the mood. I could almost feel the sarcastic eye-roll that Hiccup directed at me. I shot him a look that said 'you know it's true!' He scoffed, trying to hide a smile as he playfully glared at me. If it wasn't for me (no, his mate had nothing to do with how awesome he was now!), he'd still be the same scrawny hatchling I had met so long ago.

I felt the Shadowshifter next to me shift slightly, so I stopped my little play-fight with my human to turn my attention back to her. I frowned in pity when I saw her face, wet streaks running underneath her eyes. It was rare for dragons to cry since we were generally prideful creatures, but when we did, we didn't treat it as a sign of weakness like the Vikings did, but as a way of saying that we needed comfort. She wiped the tears with her left paw, cringing for whatever reason as she did so. "**N-no, that's not…**" She chuffed, a far away look in her eyes. I could tell something was eating away at her from the inside, and she's been holding it in for a long, long time. Of course, without a Sight-Share, there was no way I was going to be able to know what that something was.

She sat in silence for a moment, her mind seemingly in an intense inner turmoil, before she spoke once more. "**... I was just reminded of someone. That's all.**" She finished, looking me truly in the eyes since I've met her. Sensing my chance, I tried making a connection with the Sight-Share, trying to figure out what was making her so afraid.

You see, Sight-Sharing is a strange ability that we dragons have. It's when two dragons look into each other's souls through our eyes, exposing feelings or memories much better than words ever could. It's a great way to establish trust between two comrades or mates. They didn't say the eyes are the window to the soul for no reason, after all.

But this Shadowshifter… refused. She resisted the Sight-Share, keeping me away from her emotions, as she shook her head as if throwing off an uncomfortable feeling, breaking our eye contact. I blinked in confusion. Why in Hel's name is she resisting? Sight-Sharing with another was sacred, and refusing was basically saying that they don't trust you at all.

But… I guess that is understandable. We have just met each other, after all, and she did seem afraid of me for whatever reason… let's just take things slow.

Another beat of silence. We sat quietly next to each other, both of us unsure of what to say next. I looked over to Hiccup to see if he knew anything, but he simply grimaced and shrugged, shaking his head. I huffed. 'Thank you for nothing, you useless fleshbag.'

Then the Shadowshifter's voice pulled me from the silent talk. "**S-sorry, I don't think I gave you my name. You may call me Lucina.**" She greeted, her face muscles strained for whatever reason, as if she was suppressing a grimace. My eyes widened in surprise. Lucina? That was an odd name for a dragon, but a pretty one nonetheless. Did she have a human, then? Normally, dragon names were just description of their appearance or something they were notable for doing, but us with humans, or 'riders' as they called themselves took the names they gave us with pride.

I stood up, shaking my wings out since they were getting a little stiff. "**Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Toothless, and the not very social human over there is my human, Hiccup.**" I replied, trying to sound as friendly as possible so I could finally break the ice with her. I could've sworn she smiled ever so slightly in response, but it was gone in an instant. Progress, maybe? "Alright, that's enough out of you, you overgrown lizard," Hiccup said, laughing as he walked over and placed a hand on my head. I smiled at his touch, the connection between us making itself known again. That got a slight snicker out of Lucina, though she was quick to hide her amusement. "**It's a pleasure to meet you both. I apologize about earlier, I was just… very confused.**" She apologized, clumsily standing up to face the two of us.

Hiccup snorted in response. "Yeah, I can see why. The big ol' alpha Night Fury must've been a shock to wake up to." I wanted to point at that she was fully awake when I was approaching her, but bit my tongue, deciding it wasn't worth the effort. I grinned cheekily, standing up on my hind legs as I did so and flaring my wings out. "**Me? Scary? I disagree, but I can see why you would think that, hatchling.**" I joked, imitating that 'flexing' thing I saw Snotkid do a few times. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that guy seeked out attention more than Flameskins did. No wonder Hookfang was his partner. Hiccup laughed, rolling his eyes. "Well anyway, I just wanted to say that it is… incredible that there are more Night Furies out there! I mean, Toothless and I have been around the archipelago a ton and we've never seen another Fury until now! How did you manage to find yourself here?" He asked, his eyes lit with excitement. I was quite curious as well. I've been searching for many years to try and find another one of my kind, and even with the help of Hiccup I've had no luck. It was almost too perfect that Lucina somehow finds her way onto this very island out of the multitude of others we've been to.

Lucina's eyes widened at the question, as if she were surprised, and hesitated. Huh… that's weird. "**I… honestly, have no idea… where exactly am I?**" She answered, her eyes shining with what almost looked like guilt for a split second as she did so. Me and Hiccup exchanged a glance, a tad surprised by her answer. "You're, um, on Berk… Probably the most dragon-friendly village you'll find. How… why can't you remember how you got here?" Hiccup asked, voicing my thoughts exactly. "Only a head injury could cause forgetfulness like that, and trust me, I know all about head injuries. Practically an expert at this point." He deadpanned, referencing back to all the times we collided with something during our first flying days.

… and nowadays.

Lucina cringed in response. "**I'm sorry, I just… don't remember much. I wish I could tell you more, but… I don't know what happened to get me here.**" The sadness in her eyes was back with a fierceness, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Maybe we should drop the subject if it brought her that much pain just to think about it.

I nudged Hiccup, catching his attention. "**Let's ask her more about it later… I don't think she's in the best state to talk right now,**" I lowly growled to him, nodding my head towards Lucina to emphasize my point. He sighed, before nodding in agreement. "You're probably right, bud…" He muttered back, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. I resisted the urge to smirk. You better believe I'm right, hatchling.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll remember sooner or later. In the meantime, why don't you come and stay at Berk? Like I said, it's the most dragon-friendly village you'll find this side of the archipelago. Friendly people, lots of dragons… what's there not to love?" He offered, casually leaning into my side as he did so. I was tempted to fall flat on my stomach so he would fall over, but I resisted, despite how funny it would be.

That seemed to throw Lucina for a loop, her eyes widening before she looked away, seemingly in deep thought. It almost looked she was having an internal debate for a minute or two. Eventually she took a deep breath, straightening out her posture before turning to Hiccup, a more neutral expression on her muzzle. "**I think I will accept your offer, Chief Hiccup. Thank you,**" She graciously thanked, nodding her head slightly. Me and Hiccup exchanged surprised glances. I could tell we were thinking the same thing. 'She's awfully polite for a wild dragon…'

Hiccup suddenly smiled, clapping his hands together. "Well, alright then! That's settled. Well, uh, I kinda 'lost' something in the forest back there, so we'll have to take the long, scenic route. You could use that time to… oh, I don't know… get to know each other?" He directed that last comment at Lucina and I, an excited yet devilish smile on his face. I responded with a glare, lowly growling. "**Hiccup, I swear to Naga if you play matchmaker here…**" I threatened lowly, which only elicited another insufferable smirk from him. "I have no clue what you're talking about, bud. Let's get going, I think I've spent more than enough time away from Berk. It'll be a miracle if it isn't burned to the ground when I get there," He said sarcastically to nobody in particular, beginning to walk back to where we originally came from. I chuffed in annoyance. I loved him, but good Gods he could be a thorn in my side when he wants to.

… Ah, whatever. I couldn't live without the dope anyways. We're like two halves of the same whole at this point.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by something brushing my side, and a quick glance revealed it to be Lucina's tail as she walked by, her gait a little clumsy, as if she was trying her hardest not fall. My thoughts turned back to Hiccup's words. He was right, I didn't know much about her so I could make use of this situation… I sighed, deciding to take Hiccup's advice and take the time we had to get to know this mysterious Shadowshifter better.

"**Social awkwardness, don't fail me now…**" I deadpanned to myself, bounding forward to catch up with the two.

* * *

**There we have it! The first chapter of my new story is done. I wanted to add a couple special things with Hiccup, like the emotions and understanding Dragonese to make the story a tad more interesting. Hopefully it was well written enough for y'all to enjoy it, and if you did be sure to leave a review telling me what you think! Any and all constructive criticism and comments are appreciated.**

**As for my upload speed, think of this chapter as the sort of appetizer. Once I get the first part of the story completed, I'll upload the second chapter and then you can expect me to upload a new chapter every Saturday at 12pm sharp until the first half is completely uploaded. From then, I will go on a brief hiatus to complete the second half, then once that is done I'll go back to the weekly upload schedule. So don't be worried if I haven't uploaded in a while, because I definitely will be finishing this.**

**Until then, I'll see you guys next time!**


	2. 1: This is Berk

**Hey all, looks like I'm back a little sooner than I anticipated. I wanted to give you a little bit more than just the one chapter to start with, so I'm back with the second chapter. After this, I have chapter 3 ready and waiting for next Saturday and chapter 4 is nearly complete, so look forward to those two coming out in the next two weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy the first two chapters of A Future Past, a New Fate.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 : This is Berk**

* * *

~Toothless~

* * *

This has officially been the weirdest day of my life. And it's not even dark yet! If somebody, say, Hookfang, had told me that I would be walking side-by-side with a female Shadowshifter in the woods today? I would've showed him his place for making really, _really _dumb jokes.

But here I was, walking next to the one dragon that I had been searching for for so long. It was almost like a dream, like it was too good to be true. I was half expecting to wake up in Hiccup's house where I normally slept any second now. I have had dreams like this before, and all of them ended with disappointment. But today… today was different. Today I would finally get to know another one of my species!

… That is, if she would ever _talk. _Ever since our meeting back in that clearing, she hasn't said a word. Whenever I looked over to her, she would be looking at the ground, her brow furrowed as if she was thinking hard about something. I wanted to say something, to try and get the conversation going, but what would I say? Judging by her reactions to the questions we asked earlier, I don't think asking about her past was a great idea right now. What was that saying that humans had? All in due time? Something like that…

Well, since she didn't want to talk, I tried filling the time with other things, one of those things being catching Lucina's scent. You could tell a lot about a dragon just by their scent, like where they come from, what dragons or humans they've been around, basic information like that. What confused me with Lucina's scent, is that, well… it had two distinct smells. The first was dragon, but what confused me was that she only smelled like one dragon, and it was a scent I didn't recognize. It smelled… dark. Like the very definition of evil incarnate. Like _death_. I tried not to grimace as the smell entered my nose. It wasn't her scent, but it was definitely a dragon that I didn't want to meet. The second scent was most definitely human. She _reeked_ of human, so much so that it almost caused me to flinch, and there was an underlying scent of something else… something almost _regal_. It just didn't make sense to me. How did she smell so much like humans, but there was only one dragon scent on her?

"**So… where exactly is this… 'Berk'... located?**" Lucina's voice pulled myself out of my head. I blinked, not expecting her to talk after spending so long of the walk in silence. She sounded almost hesitant to ask, as if she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know the answer to her question, and even her eyes had a mixture of fear and uncertainty laced within them. I was honestly a tad surprised that she didn't know where she was. The little human village has grown into a main travel spot for dragons of every kind. It was hard to miss, too, right smack dab in the middle of the islands. "**You don't know where Berk is?**" I asked, staring her in the eyes. I didn't make a move to try a Sight-Share, but I could tell that a whole myriad of emotions was whirling through her mind.

She gently shook her head, glancing away from me. She looked scared, nervous, embarrassed… it was hard to name an emotion that wasn't negative. "**N-no, I don't,**" She muttered in response, suddenly finding the ground very interesting.

I instantly regretted asking that, remembering that she was scared of me before, which meant that she didn't know I was the alpha. It was entirely plausible that she didn't know where Berk was. "**Well, Berk is the island we're on right now, and it's the most fleshed out dragon destination of the islands at the moment. Trust me, you'll love it here, and the other dragons are all friendly!**" I refrained from mentioning a couple of the more unsavory dragons living here, that Thorntail we had rescued earlier this month in particular. They could easily give her a hard time, and considering how frightened and confused she seemed at the moment, it was best that I stayed with her to make sure they didn't try anything.

No, I wasn't just making up excuses so I could spend more time near her.

My words, however, seemed to have no effect on her mood, her head remaining down and her brow furrowed in worry. "**...Have you ever heard of Ylisse?**" She asked quietly, an almost pleading look on her face. Her eyes were practically _begging _for some sort of solace. Solace from what? I had no clue. That name she mentioned… I couldn't shake the feeling that it was important, like I had heard it somewhere before but forgot. I scoured my mind, but came up empty, the name meaning nothing to me.

I shook my head, tilting my head subconsciously. "**No, sorry. Is that where you're from?**" I asked, genuinely curious. Maybe this could give us some insight on where exactly she'd been hiding all these years. Maybe there were more Shadowshifters there?

No… not likely, considering that she didn't smell of any dragon besides the evil one. Perhaps it was another human village that had made peace with the dragons… Good Gods, so many unanswered questions!

Her expression immediately fell at my answer, as if what I just said confirmed a very troubling suspicion. Her ears flattened against her skull, and the wings on her back drooped, a telltale sign of a dragon that was the opposite of joyful. "**Oh, Gods… just where **_**am **_**I?..." **I heard her mutter to herself, fueling my need for a Sight-Share further.

What was going through her mind right now?

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

I had taken the time during the walk to this 'Berk' place to gather my thoughts, not quite sure just what in Naga's name was even happening.

What is Berk? I've never heard of such a place before now, and it was never mentioned on any map of the world that I've seen. From what Toothless and Hiccup have said, I could gather that it was an island, with one big village.

That held even more dragons.

I suppressed a shiver. I could only hope that they were as accommodating as Toothless.

Speaking of the first dragon I've met that didn't try to kill me besides Minerva, this was the first time I wasn't crippled with fear from being next to a dragon. I was never too fond of them, and I tried my hardest to stay far away from them, even Gerome's dragon.

… Maybe it was how _human _he acted, but Toothless was the exception so far. I was wary around him, of course, but I wasn't terrified. It… it was a nice change of pace from the usual fear that me and my family felt day and night while under the oppressing forces of Grima.

My family… where were they now? They had gone through the portal before me and my brother, so we were most likely separated. They could be on the other side of the world…

I sighed. Wanting to find my family would have to wait, no matter how harsh it sounded. My priority was figuring out just where I actually was.

My mind wandered back to my meeting with the two companions, their introductions replaying almost on loop in my brain. They were obviously very good friends, the way they talked to each other spoke volumes about the strength of their bond. It was incredible, really. I never thought that a human and a dragon could get along so well. That was probably part of the reason I agreed to come to their village. If they got along so well, then perhaps the rest of the people there wouldn't be terrified of my presence.

The lie I had told them… I hate lying, but it was necessary. I can't tell them that I came from the future in order to stop an apocalyptic calamity from occurring. They would think I was mad. I had to keep up this facade that I didn't remember how I got here, but I could tell that Toothless was already suspicious. Perhaps if I had a better lay of the land, then I could hold up my story better…

I turned to Toothless, and paused. My chest tightened subconsciously in anticipation, and my heartbeat quickened. Why did I feel so apprehensive about asking this question?

Well, no matter, I didn't have a choice. "**So… where exactly is this…'Berk'... located?**" I asked the black dragon, trying not to cringe as I spoke. I still wasn't used to my voice bing so distorted…

Said dragon glanced at me, a surprised look on his face. I instantly grew nervous. Have I already said something wrong? "**You don't know where Berk is?**" He asked back, sounding like I caught him off guard. I quickly glanced away from his stare, feeling embarrassed. Perhaps this Berk was more well known than I thought… I wonder how I haven't heard of it?

"**N-no, I don't,**" I looked to the ground, upset that I hadn't really thought this conversation through. How was I supposed to know Berk was a well known kingdom?

To my surprise, however, Toothless didn't miss a beat, his tone not mocking in the slightest. "**Well, Berk is the island we're on right now, and it's the most fleshed out dragon destination of the islands at the moment. Trust me, you'll love it here, and the other dragons are all friendly!**" He explained, sounding more like advocate for the island rather than a dragon that lived there. That didn't quell my fears in the slightest. The way he spoke of it made it sound like they had hundreds of dragons… if so, then how did her father or mother not have any records of such a place existing? Surely, they would've made valuable allies in the war against Grima… it just didn't make sense.

I had a sneaking suspicion of what exactly happened, but I didn't even want to consider it an option. Just the very thought scared me… I had to make sure.

I turned to Toothless. "**...Have you ever heard of Ylisse?**" I asked, my voice wavering more than I wanted it too. Depending on his answer, this could mean one of two things; I was either very far away from where I should be, or…

"**No, sorry. Is that where you're from?**" He asked innocently, not knowing the weight those words just rammed through me. My heart skipped a beat, and I almost froze where I stood. No… how could he not know what Ylisse was? Even the continent of Valm knew who my father was, and they were on the opposite side of the world! If Toothless didn't even know what Ylisse even was, then…

"**Oh, Gods… just where **_**am **_**I?...**" Had the portal sent me to the wrong time period? I remember it being very unstable when me and Morgan went through it…

My heart truly stopped then and there. Morgan. I had completely forgotten about him. I was holding onto him when we went through the portal together, so he was most likely in the same place as me. Stuck here. Except he probably didn't have a couple nice locals to welcome him.

I couldn't stand the thought of my brother struggling alone. But what could I do? He could be anywhere in the world, and I was stuck in an unfamiliar place in an unfamiliar body. The chances of me finding him alone were next to none.

'_But you aren't alone,_' a small voice in the back of my mind reminded me, causing me to subconsciously turn my head to look at Hiccup, who was occasionally giving me a glance as he led us, and Toothless, who's expression was a mix of guilty and pitiful. A man and his dragon, a dragon and his human. They had been nothing but kind to me so far. Perhaps it's time I started to be kind back. Who knows, they might help me in my search for my brother and a way home.

"Here we are," Hiccup's voice abruptly brought me out of my thoughts. Glancing over to where the man was looking, my eyes widened with surprise. We were overlooking a large town from a cliff, bustling with people and dragons alike. I saw so many different species, some were huge, some were tiny, some flew far above and some walked along the ground next to the people. The buildings seemed… primitive, compared to the stone structures of Ylisse, but the bright blues and reds more than made up for it. "**Wow…**" I breathed, mesmerized by the sight of dragons and humans getting along like brothers. Toothless walked up to me, smirking. "**Pretty amazing, huh?**" He asked, my amazement pretty obvious to anyone that looked. I silently nodded, just looking at the sights. You could see the ocean perfectly from here. I had never seen such beautiful blue waters before in my life. And the skies! They were a bright blue, like a gem over my head. I had never seen such vibrant skies in my life. In the future, Grima's influence had grown so strong that the light was snuffed out. We lived in constant darkness.

This… was like heaven to me. People living peacefully… no worries of attacks from Risen… it's what I was fighting for.

Hiccup walked back to stand next to me and Toothless, a smile of what looked like pride plastered on his face. "This is Berk!" He punctuated that statement by spreading his arms out wide, as if he were trying to envelop the entirety of the village in his open embrace. "You wanna start giving her the tour, bud?" I blinked. Tour? What tour? I looked over to said dragon in confusion, but he simply smiled at me. "**You know it, Hiccup,**" He responded.

I stared, confused as Hiccup suddenly walked over to Toothless and looped over his back, settling into the saddle on his back. I heard a _click_ from the other side of him, but I couldn't get a good look at what cause the noise. He rubbed the top of Toothless's head affectionately, giving the pitch-black dragon a smile. "Whaddya say we greet our subjects, eh bud?" Said dragon nodded in agreement, before the two of them jumped off of the cliff together with one of Toothless's powerful strides, his legs pumping beneath them as they lept. Toothless opening his wings in reflex, gliding with ease to the edge of the town, the wind rippling through the rider's shaggy brown hair. I was mesmerized by the obvious bond these two held, seemingly unbreakable. They gracefully landed, and Hiccup quickly jumped down from his saddle with ease. They've obviously been doing this for quite some time. Said dragon rider turned to me, a big grin on his face. "You coming Lucina?" He called from below, waving me over with his left hand.

Then it hit me.

I don't know how to fly. How was I going to get down there? Perhaps I could…

I looked down the side of the cliff, and resisted the urge to flinch back. Unless I wanted to break several bones, then that wasn't an option. I sighed in exasperation. This was going to be embarrassing…

I stepped back a couple feet, letting my breathing even itself out. 'You can do this, Lucina…' I thought to myself. 'You've done worse. _Much _worse…' I shuddered ever so slightly at the thought of the many times I've had to rush into a Risen camp with nothing but a scant few soldiers at my side. Of course, trying to actually _fly _with wings that I've never had before was an entirely different beast altogether.

I could feel these new muscles on my back tense as I lowered myself to the grassy floor, and with a strong push from my much stronger legs, I flung myself off of the cliff side, gritting my teeth as I tried desperately to open my wings and at least glide my way towards them. There was no way I was going to actually fly yet, after work all.

And… it worked perfectly. My eyes widened in surprise as I glided smoothly through the air, the wind rushing past my scales and flowing underneath my wings. It was like I had been doing it my whole life! The feeling of flying was absolutely incredible, even just the simple act of gliding gave me a feeling of indescribable joy. It took all of my willpower to stop myself from whooping with happiness. I hadn't felt like this since the beginning of the war… I had forgotten what it was like to truly feel happy again.

Before I knew it, my new paws impacted the ground, and I stumbled forward in surprise. That had ended too soon for my liking. The feeling under my wings was intoxicating… I yearned to feel it again.

Hiccup must've seen the look on my face, because he chuckled and patted my head. I leaned into his touch slightly, still riding the flying high. "Guess you're happy to be back up in the sky," 'You could say that again,' I thought to myself as I nodded in reply, moving away from his touch. I wasn't going to admit it any time soon, but his rubbing felt surprisingly good against my rough scales. He seemed to understand that I didn't wish for him to continue, so he put his arm back to his side. "Well, as I was saying before, this is Berk!" He exclaimed dramatically, gesturing the the buildings that seemed much bigger than before up close. Even the dragons seemed huge now, a particularly big one lumbering by, saying "'**Scuse me, sorry…**"

Maybe this will be the village to break me of my dracophobia.

* * *

~Hiccup~

* * *

"The number one dragon destination this side of the archipelago!" I exclaimed, turning on that' scrawny Viking charm. I had given this same tour to many different people and dragons at this point, but this one was different. This time I was giving a tour of the village to what might be the only other Night Fury in the world, so I wanted to make a good impression on her.

Thankfully, it seemed to be working, if her expression was anything to go by. She seemed much happier than she was in the forest, looking around the village with an amazed look on her face. She was even making small talk with Toothless, which was a win in my book. Anything to get that overgrown lizard of mine to actually talk to some girls… it's about time he found someone.

"We've got the newest feeding stations, plenty of flying space, and top of the line fire-prevention, if I do say so myself," I continued, pointing to each example as I spoke. I grimaced when a stray blast from a Nadder lit one of the houses ablaze, but was quickly put out as the new and improved fire-brigade dumped some water on it from above, flying overhead. "As you can see, we've got plenty of jobs around here for Vikings of all shapes and sizes, like healers," I gestured to Helga, who was currently wrapping a rather nasty looking bite on Ack's arm. "Merchants," As I said that, Phlegma passed by the three of us, not looking up from her small bag of whatever herbs and crops she was carrying. "And you're looking at the local blacksmith, and the chief of Berk." I turned and placed my hands on my hips, trying to pose heroically for the two Furies behind me.

Toothless merely shot me a look. "**So what is Gobber then?**" My stance faltered. Darn lizard. "Yeah, well… when he's not around, that is," I corrected. Of course, I was almost always busy with running this crazy place, but I did enjoy taking over the smithy when Gobber needed a break or was out of commission.

Lucina eyed me curiously, her royal-blue eyes taking a break from trying to take everything in and instead focusing on me. "**You're a smith?**" She asked, cocking her head slightly. I was a little surprised by her interest in that, but I nodded in confirmation. "Yep. Trained since I was twelve, I made Toothless's tail fin over there," Toothless waved his tail, showing off the red colored fin. I continued, "and this here leg of mine," I lifted my left leg, showing the carefully crafted prosthetic that definitely wasn't Toothless's chew toy, no matter what he thought.

Her eyes widened at the sight of it, an unknown emotion making itself prevalent in the blue orbs. "**You… lost your leg?**" She whispered, just loud enough for me to hear it. I paused, hesitating for a moment, then nodded. I still wasn't comfortable with people making such a big deal out of it. You lost limbs in the dragon business, it was a part of life. "Yeah, but you get used to it. Trust me, I've had this lump of metal for six years." I said, tapping the prosthetic on the ground twice, making a _clunk-clunk_ sound.

She looked like she wanted to ask more, but seemingly decided against it. "**It looks like you are… quite skilled in your craft.**" She said, an almost apologetic look on her muzzle.

Toothless, who had stayed quiet during the interaction, answered for me. "**You could say that again. Without him, I would've been flightless,**" He said gratefully, nudging me in the side affectionately. I smiled, rubbing the top of his head.

"Hiccup! There you are!" A familiar voice broke the awkwardness of the conversation. I smirked, turning to see Astrid and Stormfly touching down a few feet ahead of me. Right on time. "Where've you been? I've been looking all over for you! Dragon Training starts in ten minutes!" She exclaimed, getting a little heated as she unhooked herself from the Nadder's saddle. I held my hands up in front of me. Just because I was chief, doesn't mean I wasn't afraid of Astrid's punches. Seriously, her swings leave a mark, even through dragon scale armor. "Sorry, but I found something that might surprise you. Trust me when I say that it's important." I told her, my smile never dropping from my face.

Toothless, meanwhile, bounded over to greet Stormfly. The two of them have been good friends since they met during the battle of the Red Death. I guess fighting alongside each other in near-death situations will do that to you. Astrid's glare softened somewhat, now more curious than angry. "Did you find another species of dragon, or something?" She asked, still a little miffed by the looks of it. Oh, her reaction was going to be _priceless._ "Er, not quite…" She groaned in response, her patience starting to wear thin. "Well, can it wait until after the training? I can't exactly start the class without the dragon-master himself, after-"

That was when her Lucina came into view, plodding up next to me as she eyed Toothless and Stormfly run around the three of us with curiosity. Astrid stared at her for a solid five seconds, before looking back at Toothless, then back to her. She repeated this a couple times, and I struggled to hold back a laugh. "... Hiccup…" She whispered, her eyes almost as wide as the shields we use. "Yes, Astrid?" I replied nonchalantly. She slowly turned to me, an incredulous look on her face. "... Is that another Night Fury?" Feigning ignorance, I glanced over to Lucina, who was still looking towards the two other dragons. "Oh, her? Yeah, it's no big deal, just found her in the forest about an hour ago-"

"Oh my _Thor, _YOU FOUND ANOTHER NIGHT FURY!" Astrid exclaimed excitedly, suddenly breaking out in a smile. She definitely surprised Lucina with her outburst, who jumped backward in shock. "That's _incredible,_ Hiccup!" Then she slugged me in the gut. I groaned in pain, holding my stomach in my hands. _Thor, _she can punch… "Was that _really _necessary?" I asked her. Add another bruise to the collection…

At least she seemed guilty about it, grimacing. "Sorry, but I just… I can't believe it! We've been searching for _years, _and you've finally found one!" She glanced over to Toothless and Stormfly. They had stopped running around when they heard Astrid's outburst, and now they were talking about something, but I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I looked over to Lucina, who was staying silent, staring at me and Astrid with a confused expression on her face. "I bet Toothless is happy, eh?" She pointed out, one of her eyebrows raised suggestively. I let out a laugh at that one. He was definitely… _interested_ in Lucina back in the woods, to say the least. Hel, I even tried to get them to talk on the way here! "You could say that, yeah," I agreed with her assumption, and she laughed along with me.

"Cmon, we gotta go tell the others! They'll be just as happy, I know it," She exclaimed, running up to Stormfly and deftly swinging up to the saddle on her back. There's the thing I wanted to avoid. While I admired her enthusiasm, I didn't know how Lucina would react to the attention. Sure, she looked like she was having a good time just taking everything in, but I could tell that she seemed nervous around so many people and dragons. "Well, I kinda wanted to hold off on that until tomorrow."

Astrid paused, surprised. "But why? This is huge news!" She asked, not understanding my motives for doing so.

"Well, I'd like to let Lucina settle in first before I start showing her off like some prize I found, because she's not just something I want to show off, she's a friend. Plus, I promised her I would finish the tour," I explained as best as I could, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. I could feel Lucina's eyes on me, but for whatever reason I did not know.

Astrid continued staring for a second, but then sighed in resignation. "Alright, alright, I get it. We can meet up tomorrow. I'll teach the class with your mom instead so you can keep showing her around." She conceded. "Hope she isn't too busy…"

I let out a breath, smiling at my girlfriend. "Thanks, Astrid. I promise we'll do it tomorrow." I said. Toothless nodded in approval at me, walking back to my side.

Astrid went to take off towards the dragon academy, then paused. "... How exactly are you gonna get her through town without anybody noticing?"

I shrugged. "Us Vikings are about as dense as rocks when it comes to our surroundings. I'm sure I'll be fine."

She chuckled. "Fair point."

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

The rest of the tour was nowhere near as eventful as that one conversation was.

That Astrid girl… I believe she was Hiccup's betrothed. They seemed close, and even after she had punched him square in the stomach he was friendly. I never understood people who playfully fought each other or punched each other to show affection. I took sparring very seriously in my family.

Toothless had gone off to greet the other dragon, Stormfly, and proceeded to bound around with the blue-scaled dragon, laughing as if they were playing together. You could almost call it cute, if we weren't talking about huge, fire-breathing dragons.

Well… I'm one to talk now, I suppose.

Then the Astrid girl started yelling about something called a 'Night Fury', and how Hiccup had found another one. Was that what I was? A Night Fury? I heard Hiccup mention that before in the forest during our initial meeting… if it was, I could see why, considering that Toothless was pitch black in coloration, but I didn't get the Fury part. If anything, he was one of the kindest peo… er, _dragons _I've ever met.

Anyway, she started saying that we needed to introduce me to the 'others', whoever they were, and quickly sling herself over Stormfly. I quietly grimaced when she said that, not really wanting to garner attention to myself at the moment, and went to tell Hiccup, but he beat me to it, telling her that he wanted me to settle in before he started showing me off.

He called me a friend.

I was immensely surprised by his actions. Never in my life had I seen someone trust a stranger so easily… no wonder the dragons around seemed drawn to him, looking his way as we passed or calling out a greeting. They seemed surprised when they saw me, but otherwise weren't barging over to greet me like that Astrid girl did. She kind of reminded of Severa, easily heated, but had a kind heart.

That reminds me. What happened to the rest of my family? Did they make it to the past safely? They entered the portal when it was stable, so I would hope so…

If so, then they would have to do without her at the moment. I knew they would find a way to push forward. They always had.

As their walk through the village continued, the sun began to dip below the horizon, the sky turning from a bright, clear blue to a beautiful cacophony of oranges, purples and reds. They had stopped at a cliff around the end of their walk, just enjoying the view of the sunset. This was the first time I had seen a sunset since I was five.

"**Wow…**" I whispered, lying next to Toothless and Hiccup as the three of us enjoyed the absolutely beautiful view. Toothless shifted next to me, his wings touching mine. "**Pretty, isn't it?**" I nodded slowly in agreement. So many colors in one sky… I never thought I'd see the day when I would be able to enjoy a peaceful sunset. "**I've never seen such a beautiful sky before…**" I breathed, wishing that Morgan was here to enjoy this with me. I repressed a sigh, the thought of my brother reminding me of the duty I had for my family. When I find him, though, I'll make sure we'll enjoy every sunset… together.

I could feel Toothless's inquisitive gaze on me, but he turned away after a moment, his stare returning to the sky. "**Well, there's a first for everything,**" he said, and Hiccup nodded in response from his seat next to Toothless.

I couldn't help but agree with him, because as I stared at the sky, the sun's light shining across the deep blue waters, I felt something in me… _yearning _to be out there, out there with the wind beating against my scales. The waves lapping at my paws as I skimmed the water. The more I thought about it, the more my wings wanted to suddenly burst open, and launch myself off of the cliff side into the skies above. I could picture every single detail of my imaginary flight, and it just made me want it _more._

You could say that there's a first for everything.

I decided, tonight, I was going to experience my first flight.

* * *

**Alright, second chapter in the books. Don't forget, chapter 3 is going up on Saturday around noon, and chapter 4 on the next Saturday. Leave a fav/follow if you enjoyed, and if you have any comments don't forget to leave a review. Until next time!**


	3. 2: A Flight to Remember

**Well, it's Saturday, so it's about that time for another update! I originally had this chapter and the next as one complete chapter, but it went on for****_ever_**** (16k words... yikes), so I'm splitting it up into two separate chapters. You'll get chapter 3 next saturday, as usual, so be sure to stay tuned for that! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter while you wait. Again, thank you all for taking your time to read this. I really do appreciate it!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Flight to Remember**

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

We had travelled the rest of the way to Hiccup's house after the sun had finally dipped below the sea, taking the colors with it and giving way to a sky that was filled with stars. Again, I was amazed. I hadn't seen the stars this clearly in a very long time. It just seemed like my time here was one pleasant surprise after the other. Although, I wasn't complaining. It was a nice change of pace compared to the hellish landscape she had come from.

Hiccup's house was big compared to the structures they had passed during their tour, but still nowhere near the size of Castle Ylisse. It stood tall atop the cliff side, overlooking the rest of the village. It was painted with shades yellows and blues on the sides, and a design of two dragons looped over the door. An intricate sculpture of an unknown dragon's head was placed at the top, almost like a guardian that looked over the village, symbolic of who owned this house. Hiccup cracked open the front door, walking inside with a smile on his face. "Well, this is the Haddock household, and it's where you'll be staying for the time being." He said, gesturing to the interior of the house. It was very… rustic, and homey. Toothless squeezed inside first, followed by myself. I grunted as my wings contorted at an uncomfortable angle when I walked through the doorway, the wood rubbing against my scales.

The house felt kind of cramped with two dragons and one person inside, but not to the point where it was uncomfortable. Just a little tight. A fireplace crackled off to the side, bringing warmth to the house, and a chair sat behind a small table that faced the fireplace. It reminded me of some of the towns I stayed in during our journey to find a way to the past, specifically Southtown. "**Thank you for your generous hospitality, Hiccup. I promise I will make it up to you somehow,**" I thanked the chieftain and his companion, nodding my head in respect. Toothless snorted in reply, shaking his head. "**Don't worry about it. We **_**want **_**to help you, so you don't have to do a thing.**" He replied, walking over to a stone slab near the corner of the house and letting out a stream of fire in a circle onto the slab before lying down, the embers licking his midnight scales. Hiccup seemed to agree with that sentiment, nodding to us before going to sit down onto the chair, removing his fake leg and inspecting it. Whatever he was looking at it for, I do not know. It was very intricately made, and I could tell that he was extremely talented in smithing. The best Smith we had in our army was Gerome, and only because he had to make the saddle and armor for Minerva himself, but even he couldn't make a working prosthetic leg.

He reattached the leg with a _click_, and turned to face me, his face one of curiosity. "Now, do you think you can talk to us about how you got here? We've been searching for ages for another one of Toothless's kind, and you're the first one we've ever come into contact with," He asked. Toothless perked up at the question, also looking very interested.

This was the conversation I had been dreading. How was I going to tell them that I wasn't of this time, maybe even of this world? I couldn't just say that I came from the future to save my world from a horrible fate… they would think I was crazy. Maybe… I could explain my past, just leave out the specifics. Mainly that I used to be human, and Grima…

Apparently I was silent for a beat too long, as Toothless spoke up to break it. "**It's alright if you don't want to talk, we understand.**" He assured, nodding to his partner who mirrored him in agreement. I sighed, taking a second to compose my thoughts, then shook my head. They deserved to hear this after being so kind to me. "**I appreciate the sentiment, but I will tell you where I am from.**" I said, settling down on the ground to get comfortable. We could be here a while, after all. The two friends seemed taken aback at my answer, giving each other a surprised glance, before turning their attention to me, ready to listen. I took a deep breath. This would be the first time I told anyone about my family and my home. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous.

I began to speak. "**I come from a land called Ylisse, a kingdom known for the peaceful exalt, Emmeryn. I lived among the… humans there, and even I looked up to her, her benevolence accepting of all, no matter their past or their beliefs,**" saying I looked up to aunt Emm… that was an understatement. I strived to be someone that would come close to being the leader she ever was, watching over her people with a kind smile and open arms. She was an inspiration to us all… until her life was abruptly snatched away from her people by a madman.

Hiccup's eyes widened in the middle of me speaking, but thankfully he waited until I finished that part before interrupting. It was the complete opposite of talking to Cynthia or Owain, who would just barge in whenever they pleased. "Wait, you lived _with _the humans? And they didn't try to kill you or capture you?..." He asked, sounding incredulous. Trying to sound as convincing as possible, I nodded slowly. "**Yes. In Ylisse, they viewed dragons as divine, and their God was the Divine Dragon Naga, the adversary of the Fell Dragon… **_**Grima**_" I spat out the last line with more venom than I intended. I had never liked saying his… no, _it's _name. I had vowed that after I had arrived in the future, I would not once mention that monster's name unless absolutely necessary. That definitely threw both Hiccup _and _Toothless for a loop. "Wait, dragon _gods?_ And _people_ worshipped them? This is…" he trailed off, seemingly in absolute shock. "**I'm more surprised these humans even know of Naga… she is a more famous legend in dragon lore.**" Toothless added, his eyes distant an unfocused, as if he were trying to solve a particularly difficult riddle. I was surprised when he said that Naga was a famous legend, but decided against questioning him now. I'll ask about the legend tomorrow. Perhaps it's different from the Naga I know.

"**And there were also the Manakete, a scarce race able to harness the power of the divine dragon, able to transform from a human to a dragon at will with a special stone.**" I continued.

Hiccup's mouth dropped to the floor, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. Toothless's head snapped to me so fast that I thought his neck might break, an immense surprise present in his acid green eyes. "I- you- _What?!_ People that could turn _into dragons?!_" He exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. His expression was a mix between absolute shock and a growing excitement. "Oh, we've gotta find this place now!" He turned to Toothless with these words, a wide grin on his face. "Just imagine… an entire kingdom where can dragons can roam free, and even people that can turn into one!" The Night Fury seemed to mirror his excitement, getting up to his paws and bouncing up and down lightly, though with his weight it still seemed to shake his house. "**A whole **_**kingdom**_**! This is gonna be great!**" Toothless said with a goofy, toothless grin on his face. Normally, I would be a little upset about someone (namely Morgan or Cynthia) interrupting me, but the way the two kept talking about all the things they could do in such a place, the alliance they could form with my home… it was kind of cute, the amount of childish excitement they held together, and I would be lying if I said that Toothless didn't look absolutely adorable with that smile. 'Never thought I'd be saying that about a _dragon_,' I mused, laughing at their overly excited reactions.

They suddenly stopped talking amongst themselves after I laughed, their excited chatter and happy expressions replaced by ones of embarrassment, a silence now covering the room in it's embrace. Hiccup coughed awkwardly, before walking back over to his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, got a little… carried away there," He apologized, shifting in his chair slightly as he did so. Toothless appeared more guilty than Hiccup did, finding the wood floorboards very interesting for some reason.

I simply smiled in response. "**That's fine, Hiccup. I would be reacting the same way you are if I was in your position.**" I assured, before continuing with the explanation of how I got here. "**As I was saying, the reason I came here… I…**" I paused. What could I say without saying I came from another timeline… oh! "**Was looking for my brother.**" I finished, hoping that pause wasn't too suspicious. It was true, however. I initially came here against my will, but now Morgan was my top priority. Hiccup's eyebrows raised towards his hairline. "You have siblings?"

I nodded, smiling softly at the thought of my brother. "**Yes, just my brother, Morgan. He's a brilliant young mind, and I wouldn't trade the bond we have for anything.**" Talking about my brother brought the good memories I shared with him to the front of my mind. The first time we sparred, the cockroach in his tent, when he first held Falchion… it brought a warm smile to my muzzle. His boundless energy and drive to succeed is what kept our morale high each and every day, and his knowledge for tactics was unmatched.

We sat in silence for a moment. Toothless's brow furrowed, his previous lying spot forgotten. "**... What happened to him?**" He asked quietly, a flash of pity visible in his eyes. I held back a grimace when he asked that. Damn… I could say that he was captured… no, that would be too specific. I have to make it vague so they wouldn't tell I was lying. "**One day I woke up, and he was gone.**" I made up on the spot, silently patting myself on the back for the quick thinking. It was technically true, it just happened very recently. "**I knew he was still alive, I could feel it in my soul, so I set out to find him. I…**" I paused for a second, wondering how I would explain how I got to Berk specifically. "**I… must've pushed myself too hard, and crashed onto the island. I have travelled a long ways from home, after all.**" I finished, hoping that my explanation was believable enough. I hated lying to people, especially people that have been nothing but nice to me recently, but I didn't want them to think I was crazy.

They both grimaced after the last sentence, Toothless's wings reflexively shaking themselves out. "Ugh… I can imagine how sore your wings are," Hiccup said pitifully, his eyes subconsciously moving to the two new appendages on my back. I wanted to shrink back from his scrutinizing gaze, but I knew if I did so I would seem suspicious, so I tried my hardest to stay still.

Of course, it's hard to stay still when something wet and slimy suddenly comes into contact with your sensitive new appendage. I jumped back in shock, turning to look at whatever just touched me. Turns out it was just Toothless, who apparently was _very _sneaky when he wanted to be. He stared at me with his tongue slightly hanging out of his mouth before lowering his head in apology, his ear fins flattening against his head. "**Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to help your wings recover. Didn't mean to scare you,**" He said, once again looking embarrassed. Gods, he's more stealthy than Yarne… and he had teaching from the Sweet Thief himself! I took a couple seconds to compose myself, letting my breathing even itself out. "**I-it's okay, just startled me, is all…**" My wings shifted subconsciously. That one touch… had felt kind of good against the more delicate scales there, if I was being honest. "**...If you think it will help, then by all means, continue.**" I said, gently lowering myself to the ground. If he was going to release the tension in my wings (even though I didn't have any), then it would be easier for him if I was lying down. He gave me a surprised look, as if he wasn't expecting that response, before shakily nodding, walking up behind me. I closed my eyes when the first touch hit my wings, the soft strokes like heaven against my scales. Apparently, there was more tension in my wings than I first thought, because every lick felt like it was just erasing the stress in that area. I didn't know if I should feel disgusted that he was using his tongue to do this, or relaxed because it just felt so _good_. Even Inigo, who actually took classes in massage because he thought it would help him with the ladies, wasn't this good.

I heard Hiccup say something and the metal clanking of his leg, but I paid no mind to it, simply enjoying the massage Toothless was giving me. My wings were completely limp at my sides now, no longer folded against my back. Every muscle felt like I had just taken a warm soak in the bathhouse after a particularly difficult battle or training session, like heaven.

… No, I was _not _purring. I was just enjoying it… a lot.

I yawned, my limbs growing heavy. I just didn't… want it… to end…

* * *

_My eyes opened to fire. So much fire._

_I gasped in shock, reflexively taking in a big gulp of air, only to start coughing, the smoke infiltrating my lungs and stinging my throat._

_The Haddock house was ablaze, the fire dancing with eerily with an almost dark energy exuding from it._

_This wasn't natural fire._

_I burst out of the house as fast as my paws would allow, only to stop dead in my tracks._

_The village of Berk was being torn to shreds, dragons and Risen dropping from above and crushing any and all opposition to them. The scent of blood overpowered my nose, and I gagged. My mind was racing a mile a minute and my heart had sunken into a deep pit in my chest as my eyes raked across the battlefield. I recognized that girl Astrid, her guts splayed across the grass and an arrow between her eyes. I threw my eyes away when I saw a Risen get the drop on a woman with a hand axe, an audible scream filling my sensitive ears. 'No… no, I… came here to prevent this!' My mind was in shambles as I tried to make sense of the vision before me._

_Then a roar sounded across the sky. A roar I knew all too well._

"_**So, you've been hiding here, have you…?" **__A distorted voice called from above, pounding in my ears and in my head. I yelled out in anguish, the memories of all the pain and suffering that same voice had brought me rushing back into my head all at once. I couldn't think, I couldn't breath, my heart was pounding out of my chest as I desperately tried to dispel whatever curse had fallen over me. Anything to get me out of this horrible place._

_A horrible laugh broke through my thoughts. "__**Oh, this is no curse, exalted one.**_" _My eyes were suddenly forced open, my pupils forced to focus on the monster that had taken my childhood away, those red eyes I knew all too well boring into my soul._

"_**You can't escape FATE!"**_

* * *

I awake with a sharp inhale, and I shot up to my paws. 'Wh-what was…' I frantically looked around, my eyes wide and alert and my breathing quick and uneven. I sighed in relief when I saw that it was the same house that I fell asleep in, no ethereal flames to be found. Thank the _Gods_ it was a dream. It had all felt so _real… _The scent of blood, Astrid's dead body, the _screams… _Oh, Gods, the _screams! _"**It was just a dream… it was just a dream…**" I muttered to myself, repeating it until I began to calm down. I always had nightmares like this, visions of Grima and my family's deaths, so I was an expert on calming myself down after a particularly bad one. This one was different, however… it felt _personal… _it felt _real._

After I made sure I wasn't going to pass out from hyperventilating, I glanced around the house again, although this time I was much more calm. 'Still night…' I noted, the fireplace having been put out what seemed like hours ago, the only light filtering through the windows being the moon's soft rays. Even with the lack of light, however, I could still see perfectly, like it wasn't even dark at the moment. I was able spot Toothless in the corner, even though he was pitch black in the dark, shifting ever so slightly in his sleep. Perhaps Night Furies had stronger eyes than humans? It would make sense. I had stronger eyesight, hearing, smell… what else was this body better at doing?

When I felt my wings twitch ever so slightly, I had an answer to my self-imposed question almost immediately. I could _fly._ And I'll be damned if I wasn't going to try and get up in the air while I had the chance. Glancing at the door, then at Toothless's sleeping form, I hesitated. I would have to be silent, since I don't know how heavy Toothless or Hiccup sleep.

I slowly took a few light steps, making sure to keep my tail from hitting another or my wings from getting stuck on a wall or one of the pieces of furniture. I had plenty of sneaking experience from hiding away from the plentiful armadas of Risen that Grima controlled, but that was when I was smaller and more flexible. I wasn't entirely comfortable in this body yet, so I was still a little clumsy. Guess I found something that this body isn't as good at. Of course, that might just be because of my inexperience. Given my coloration and how sleek I'm built, this body was built for speed and stealth. With time, I'm sure I'll have no problem sneaking around.

I stepped on a particularly squeaky part of the floor, cringing as the noise reverberated off of the walls. I silently cursed my heavy body, turning to stare at Toothless's comatose form. Thankfully, he made no signs of being awake other than a slight twitch in his wing, still lying with his paws straight up in the air with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. I silently chuckled at the crazy angle he slept in, his stance almost like a cat in it's sleep. The sight of his tongue sticking out in the open brought my mind back to the "massage" he gave me yesterday, and immediately my face flushed, and I'm sure that if I didn't have blue scales I would be as red as a tomato. Looking back on it, it was extremely… intimate, like something a married couple would do. Maybe my mind wasn't right from the absurdity of the situation, or I was caught up with just how damn _good _it felt, but either way, it was definitely something that I wouldn't normally allow somebody to do to me.

… It did feel really good, though.

I shook my head, growling silently to myself. 'Stop thinking these impure thoughts, Lucina,' I reprimanded myself, reminding myself I was up and about in the middle of the night for a reason. As carefully and quietly as I could, a slowly slinked across the floor, making sure to apply as little pressure as I could on the floor and throwing a glance every now and then at Toothless. With a little time on my side, I made it the rest of the way to the door with no problems. Of course, now I had to fit through the door.

Thankfully, it seemed easier than it did before to squeeze through the small frame, the wooden planks only partially rubbing against my scales this time. Didn't make it feel any less uncomfortable, however.

I sighed in relief when my scales met the cool ocean breeze, my wings instinctually folding out to their full length, airing themselves out after being scrunched up against my sides for so long.

It only fueled this instinctive desire to fly I had inside me even more. I couldn't wait to taste what it was like to be up in the air, only you and the breeze. I walked up to the edge of the cliff, smiling at the sight of a perfectly normal village, the nightmare I had still fresh on my mind. No Risen, no dragons, no screaming… just a couple Vikings wandering about, their forms illuminated by the fire of the torches. It was peaceful. It was relieving to see that my dream was just that; a dream.

I turned my attention away from the people to the surrounding area, looking for a spot that I could practice my flight uninterrupted. It would need to be an open area, with an elevated portion overlooking a lowered part. I could fly from the taller part to the lower with little issue, I just needed to find some place like that…

It took a few minutes of searching, but I spotted one particular area about five hundred yards to my left. A grassy knoll stood next to a large cliff side, which faced a large grassy plain that bled into another large cliff on one side and the entrance to the forest on the other. It's not perfect, but it will most certainly do. Deciding to forgo stealth since I was no longer in danger of waking up Toothless or Hiccup, I figured that I should test just how fast this body can fan on land. This sleek build seemed custom-made for speed, and I was eager to learn more about this dragonesque form.

I crouched low to the ground, the grass tickling the scales on my underbelly, before _pushing_ with my hind legs, pumping all the force I could into my leap.

I greatly underestimated the amount of strength I had, and I was sent flying unevenly forward about ten feet in the air, and even further distance-wise. I sailed for about three seconds before colliding headfirst with the ground, getting a mouthful of grass for my stupidity. "**Urgh… okay, not doing that again…**" I muttered to myself, shaking my head out from the disorientation of unexpectedly soaring through the air and hitting my head. Maybe I'll test my speed later, but for now I just need to focus on learning how to fly.

I quietly walked the rest of the way, the breeze shaking the trees back and forth and my own soft footsteps filling the calming silence. When I was overly stressed from running my army or just needed some alone time, I liked to take a walk through the nearest forest. I found it calming to just be alone, only you and your thoughts as you wandered aimlessly, no clear goal in mind. It helped to set my thoughts straight when I was particularly stressed.

… which was pretty much always.

I was at my chosen spot before I knew it, too wrapped up in my own thoughts to pay attention to where exactly I was headed. The small hill was perfect for me to climb atop of easily, and it rose above a small plateau which bled into a taller cliff like area. By the end of the night I hoped to be able to reach the top of the cliff, although I wasn't getting my hopes up. It seemed easy enough to glide through the air when we first entered Berk, what could be harder about flying?

I bounded up the hill, turning to face my new challenge with confidence.

* * *

By my tenth collision into the cliff face, I begrudgingly admitted that yes, flying was an entirely different beast compared to simply gliding. I growled to myself, my frustration from the continuous failures and the pain from my many new bruises starting to get to me. My attempts were all the same; I would have no problem in the liftoff and gliding part, it was the gaining altitude portion where I faltered. I just didn't understand what was going wrong. The way I used my wings felt right, but after two flaps I would veer off course and either plummet straight down or take a sharp turn into a rock, adding to my already throbbing headache. But I couldn't stop, my mind wouldn't let me. My instincts were _screaming _at me to fly, to just soar into the great beyond, where no Ylissean has gone before.

First I needed to figure out what I was doing _wrong_…

I sat on my haunches, trying to connect the dots between all of my flights. It was clearly the same thing that was causing me to lose control mid-flight, so I just needed to figure out what that one thing was. My body was telling me that I was flapping correctly, but I still always veered off course after a couple wingbeats. Was I missing something?

I sat there for a good five minutes before my answer presented itself in the form of my tail subconsciously swooping into my view, the fins flashing themselves at me. I blinked, my thoughtful gaze looking over the small wing-like protrusions at the end of my tail. They almost looked like smaller versions of my actual wings, and I compared the two when I looked back and forth between them. Actually, didn't Toothless mention something about these fins earlier today?

* * *

"_**You could say that again. Without him, I would've been flightless,**_" _Toothless said, drawing my gaze again to his tail. Where it looked like two fins once were, there was now one natural fin and one fin made out what looked like a high quality cloth of some kind, reinforced with leather and attached to a sort of pulley system on his side that connected to a latch on the saddle. 'That must be the click I heard earlier when Hiccup flew on Toothless,' I noted, admiring the obvious care that went into the prosthetic._

* * *

My brow furrowed as I thought on his words. He said without Hiccup, he would be flightless, so then…

My eyes widened in realization, my tail once again moving in front of my face instinctively. I've been going about this all wrong! I've been focusing on my wings, when it was my _tail _that I should've paid attention to! I examined the fins in more detail, noting that they seemed to have a thinner membrane than my wings. They didn't seem like much… Maybe these fins provide the stability, while the wings provide the power? I glanced between my wings and the tail fins once more. Only one way to find out.

Finding the muscles in my tail fins wasn't necessarily hard, but it was an extremely strange and foreign feeling to me. I never would have guessed this is what it would feel like to have a tail. 'Is this what Nah has to do in her dragon form?' I wondered absentmindedly, getting used to the feeling of my new muscles as I flipped the fins in and out. It kind of felt like flexing your arms, just arms attached to a very long appendage on your lower half.

Once I was confident that I could open and close the fins with ease, I rose from my position on the ground, once again taking the trot up the hill for what seemed like the fiftieth time. But this time was different. I don't know why, but I could feel that, somehow, this time I would succeed. I couldn't help but feel a tad giddy when I got into position on top of the knoll, my legs crouched in anticipation. 'Three,' I counted to myself, the same as every other attempt. 'Two,' My wings tensed, the powerful muscles hidden underneath making themselves known. 'One,' I took a deep breath, calming my nerves. It was now or never.

Without hesitation, I leapt forward, pushing with my much stronger legs. I had discovered after a few attempts of flying that almost all of my muscles were intensely strengthened in my new draconic form, which, in any other situation, would be a good thing, but now I had to learn how to control my own strength, as evidenced by earlier when I attempted to test my speed. My mother once told me that strength is nothing if you can't control it… I never thought that advice would carry over to a situation like this one.

My wings shot open on instinct, the same as the last attempts, but now my tail was aligned with my body, my fins spread wide. I flapped once, letting the wind flow underneath me. A strong gust of wind was sent around the area from my wings, a couple small rocks that I knocked from the cliff after hitting my head into it were blown back from the force. Doubt filled my mind when I didn't feel any different. It just felt like every other attempt before this one, the only difference was that I had control of my tail this time around.

Then… everything _clicked_.

It was like a switch had been flipped in my brain, lifting some sort of fog that was covering the natural instincts I had in this body. My wings, my tail, the air… I understood now. With a powerful flap I pushed myself upwards, my tail fins responding in tune and angling slightly inward. I shot up into the sky, missing my target of the upper cliff but hitting a much better goal; I was in the sky. I was _flying_. I rose, higher and higher into the great beyond, my wings pumping in unison and my legs tucked into my body so I could go even faster. I couldn't help but smile gleefully, the wind beating against my scales and finally satisfying the need I had felt since I had first entered the village. It was _intoxicating, _better than anything I have ever felt in my life. The wind I had felt under my wings back when I first glided into the village was _nothing _compared to what I felt right now. For as long as I have been alive, I've felt oppressed by Grima. By an evil greater than I had ever known. But now I was _free_. I could fly wherever I pleased, the only thing holding me back being my own fatigue. I've never held such freedom in the palm of my paw before.

Once Berk was far below me, I leveled out in the sky, my tailfins going from slightly angled to flat. I laughed boisterously, still on a high from the shot of adrenaline running through my veins. "**That was… wow, what a **_**rush**_" I said breathlessly to myself, a huge smile on my face. I was always hesitant to ride a wyvern or pegasus, the sky a little intimidating to me back in Ylisse. I had never understood why Cynthia and Gerome enjoyed riding their mounts so much, but now I questioned why I had ever been so clueless as to how this was _absolutely incredible_. The cool night air gently brushing my scales from all directions as I slowly flew, Berk nothing more than the size of a small bullion, the ocean stretching far beyond my eyes could see… it was beautiful, exciting, and calming all at the same time.

My eyes lingered on the ocean for a second, my gaze softening slightly. 'Morgan… I promise, wherever you are… I'll find you.' Somewhere out there beyond the horizon, my brother was dealing with his own problems… alone.

I was one step closer to reuniting with him.

The lull in speed during my flight had cause my adrenaline to wash away, giving way to just how damn _tired _I felt. The soreness and pain from crashing on every previous attempt was just now beginning to catch up with my body, and my wings were immensely tired. I yawned loudly, my eyelids beginning to droop. 'Well, I can't search for anything while I'm exhausted…' I mused. I looked down once more at the village of Berk, my enhanced eyes easily picking out Hiccup's house.

Suddenly, an idea came to me. A crazy and incredibly dangerous idea. I hadn't gotten to test out my speed on the ground… so what about in the air?

I smirked silently to myself, before angling tail fins inward at a much sharper angle, and suddenly plummeting towards the ground. I folded my wings against my body so I was almost cutting through the air at intense speeds, the wind howling as I shot downwards. The adrenaline was back with a vengeance, my heart pumping excitedly in my ears as the ground grew closer and closer as I travelled faster and faster.

When I was a scant few yards above the ground, I flung my wings open, angling my body to add to the wind resistance. My muscles screamed at the sudden pressure dumped onto them, and I grit my teeth in pain. My wings felt like they were going to come out of their sockets, definitely not used to such sudden stops at high speeds. This probably wasn't a good idea, but I was too far in to turn back now. With a strong wingbeat, I stopped my momentum, grunting in pain and discomfort as my paws touched the grassy earth. My wings almost immediately folded to my sides, and I grimaced at how sore they were. My muscles were screaming, telling me that I had pushed myself too hard. I huffed in exhaustion. 'Good Gods, what was I thinking?' I wondered to myself. Perhaps I was too caught up in the moment to realize the consequences of my decisions. But even as I slowly plodded towards my place of temporary residence, my bruises hurting and my wings burning, I couldn't help but want to get back up in the sky.

Because now that I had a taste of what flying actually felt like… I don't know if I want to go back.

I didn't dwell on what that meant for me and my future, because when I entered Hiccup's house, I was too tired to think straight. So I simply walked over to my original sleeping spot, making sure to keep quiet so Toothless or Hiccup didn't wake up and wonder what I was doing up and about.

Sleep took it's hold on me as soon as my body collapsed onto the wooden floor. My rest, for the first time in a very long time, was dreamless.

* * *

And, for the first time in a very long time, I woke up feeling rested.

No shooting awake from a nightmare I had, no abrupt awakenings due to a Risen attack, my mind simply and slowly regained consciousness, my sense returning to me. I could hear some dragons crooning softly in the distance, the occasional gust of wind that lightly brushed my scales… it was peaceful. Sure, I still felt extremely sore from last night, but I was content to just lie here and rest, letting my aches and worries wash away. Who knows, maybe I could formulate a plan for finding Morgan? 'Perhaps I'll go back to sleep first… it's been ages since I last got to sleep in.' I thought to myself, shifting slightly to get into a more comfortable position on the floor.

Then something nudged my snout, causing me to flinch back and grimace, not expecting the sudden contact. My eyelids slowly fluttered open, allowing the first light of day to filter through my azure orbs, still half-mast from my drowsiness.

A pair of acid green eyes greeted me, staring at me with a mischievous glint in them.

I stared back with a deadpan expression.

"**Rise and shine, sleepyhead,**" Toothless said, grinning goofily at me. He was scant inches from the tip of my muzzle, our warm breaths mingling with each other. I responded by huffing in annoyance, rolling my eyes. "**Was that really necessary?**" I never thought I would say this, but it was too early for me to get up right now, especially after what had transpired last night. Normally I was the first one awake, always ready to get some early training in before the rest of my family decided to wake up, but with how Godsdamned _sore _I was, I wanted nothing more than to head back to sleep. That insufferable reptile simply shrugged, or at least he did what I thought was the dragon equivalent of a shrug, backing away from my face and sitting on his haunches. "**No, but it worked, didn't it?**" He said innocently, cocking his head slightly to the side. I sighed, exasperated. "**Yes, it did. Now I would **_**like**_ **to get a little bit more rest in, please…**" I replied, shutting my eyes and letting my body relax again as I did so. Yes, I have enjoyed Toothless's company so far during my stay, but I would like to rest a little longer so I don't collapse from exhaustion in the middle of the day.

There was a beat of silence.

"**...Alright, I guess you don't want any food then?**" Toothless's voice asked rhetorically. I wanted to sigh in annoyance, but elected to stay silent. Hopefully, he would get the hint that I wanted to sleep and would leave me alone.

Then my stomach grumbled rather loudly.

My eyes opened once more at the sound, and I shot a glare down at my abdomen. Toothless's laugh filled my ears, and I wanted nothing more than to curse my own body for betraying my wishes. Instead I just sighed angrily, slowly getting to my paws. 'I suppose there's no fighting it anymore,' I admitted, now fully awake and alert. I crooned softly as I stretched my body out, my wings extending themselves out. 'Still sore…' I grimaced, feeling the now sensitive muscles strain from that simple movement. Toothless must have noticed my expression, because he was on me in an instant, a worried look on his face. "**What's wrong? Are you hurt?**" He asked, already looking over me for injuries. I blinked in surprise at his protectiveness, not expecting him to be so worried over someone he had just met yesterday. It… felt kind of nice, to have somebody worry about my wellbeing. "**I'm, uh, fine, Toothless. Just sore, is all.**" I assured him, folding my wings onto my back and holding back a scowl of pain as I did so.

His gaze met mine for a second, the worried look never leaving his muzzle, before he sighed in resignation. "**Alright… if you say so. At the very least, could you have something to eat? I don't need you starving on me,**" He asked, the hint of a pleading undertone to his voice. My stomach growled once more, as if reminding me that I hadn't had a good meal in months. Back in my time, the amount of wildlife was scarce, and vegetation was almost impossible to grow since we had to move so much, so most of the time we went hungry, scrounging up whatever scraps we could find. There was a time where I went a week without food. I had never felt so helpless and weak in my life.

I nodded in reply. "**Of course. Lead the way,**" I said, nodding my head towards the door. He smiled softly before turning and walking out the door, his larger body slipping effortlessly through the comparably tiny doorframe. I followed shortly after, although with far less grace, still not used to how big and clunky this body felt compared to my human one. 'Of course, when I was human I couldn't _fly_,' I reminded myself, remembering the exhilaration of accelerating further and further into the sky.

Hiccup was waiting for us outside, flashing me a smile when he noticed me. "Good to see you awake, Lucina. Never thought I'd meet anybody that slept harder than Toothless here, but you proved me wrong this morning." He joked, gesturing to said dragon as he did so, who rolled his eyes in annoyance. My face heated up in embarrassment, not realizing that they had woken up far before me. "**S-sorry, I must've been more tired than I thought,**" I apologized, the flaps that functioned as my ears subconsciously flattening themselves against my skull. Hiccup gave me a strange look, one of his eyebrows raising slightly. "Er… you don't have to apologize, Lucina. I was just joking…" He clarified, waving me off before standing up from where he was sitting. I blinked. Oh. That made more sense, I never _was _one for jokes…

"Well, anyway," Hiccup continued, dispelling the awkwardness from the situation. "I brought you and Toothless some breakfast!" He said, gesturing to the baskets before him. They seemed like normal baskets, but for some reason they smelled absolutely _delicious. _Saliva started to flow into my mouth at the scent, and it took almost all of my willpower to not just pounce on the basket and devour whatever was inside. "**You look hungry,**" Toothless chuckled by my side. I nodded slowly, still staring at the baskets with an almost feral gleam in my eyes. "**I haven't had a good meal in **_**months**_…" I murmured, my attention solely on whatever was in those baskets. I could feel Toothless's eyes linger on me for a moment, but they eventually turned away.

Hiccup proceeded to tip over the basket on his immediate left, the material contacting the ground and knocking off the lid, spilling it's contents everywhere.

I resisted the urge to look away in disgust.

It was raw fish. That's what I was smelling.

I was never the biggest fan of fish, but if that's what we had then I would choke it down. That's just how it was in my time. But _raw_ fish? No. That was something I refused to eat. I would at least cook it first, but eating something like a fish raw just… disgusted me.

But something inside of me was telling me that this was exactly what I wanted. That I couldn't ask for a better meal to start off the day. The more I stared at the slimy skin of the fish, the sun's rays glistening off of it's slick surface, the more I wanted to _devour_ them like some… wild animal. I was so caught up in my feelings and just staring at the fish that I didn't notice Toothless walk up to the other tipped over basket and begin eating, although at a much slower pace than what I was imagining myself doing right now. Hiccup, seeing me linger above my fish, walked over, a confused look on his face. "Uh… Lucina? You can eat. I didn't poison the fish or anything,"

That was all the incentive I needed.

I pounced on the pile of fish, paying no mind to Hiccup's surprised shout or Toothless pausing in his meal to stare at me with surprise. I didn't even register that the texture of the fish was less than ideal, only paying attention to how godsdamned _delicious_ it was. Oh, Gods, nothing I've ever eaten has _ever _compared to this. The meat was savory and melted in my mouth, the bones crushed into a fine dust under the strength of my jaws. The blood of the fish made it juicier, the liquid starting to coat the ground around me and around my mouth. To me, a dragon who hasn't had a full meal in months, this was the most fulfilling meal I've ever had, and I made sure to get every last morsel, demolishing the fish on the grass then moving on to whatever was left in the basket, sticking my head inside so I could reach whatever fish was left.

I only stopped my hunger based frenzy when my jaws snapped at air, snapping me out of my stupor. I blinked in surprise, not expecting all of the fish to have been eaten already. 'I must have been hungrier than I thought,' I thought to myself, shaking the basket off of my head while licking the blood off of my muzzle. Who knew that raw fish could taste so… so _decadent_? It must have something to do with my new body. Whatever the case was, I felt satisfied with my meal for the first time in a _very _long while. I wish there was a bit more, but one can't be a chooser where I was from. Besides, I was plenty satisfied with the portion I received.

I felt two pairs of eyes on me, and I turned to see Hiccup and Toothless both staring at me with what looked like a mixture of shock and confusion. I felt my face heat up under their gaze, and I glanced away, embarrassed that I lost control of myself so easily in front of them. "**I… I-I'm sorry, I was just… hungry,**" I muttered bashfully, running my tongue over the edges of my mouth again, making sure that I got all of the fish blood off.

Hiccup glanced between me and the now empty fish basket, before smirking softly. "At least I know you enjoyed your food. I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat that fast, and I've known Toothless for five years. Trust me, he can _eat._" He teased, crossing his arms in front of him.

Normally, Toothless would respond with huff and a roll of his eyes, before going back to whatever he was doing, but he didn't. He just stood there and stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face, and what looked like worry in his eyes. "**Lucina…**" He began, walking up to me, his fish forgotten. "**When was the last time you actually ate a full meal?**" He asked, his eyes brimming with concern. I was slightly taken aback from the sudden question, not anticipating such worry from him. "**I…**" What was I supposed to say? I couldn't lie to him, that would only make him more worried.

I sighed, seemingly finding no way out of this conversation. "**...Honestly, I don't remember…**" I admitted, looking away as hot shame burned my face. A meal for me consisted of any small portion of bread we had and maybe a few lizards that I managed to hunt down. It was a miracle that my body hasn't shut down from the lack of nutrients yet.

I felt Toothless's nose nudge me, making me look back over to him. He gestured over to his pile of barely touched fish, the concerned look never leaving his muzzle. "**Why don't you come and share my fish? You probably need it more than me,**" He offered. I was definitely taken aback by his gesture of absolute kindness. I tried to show this kind of empathy to my troops and my family, but to have it replicated back at me… it threw me for a loop. And yes, I would greatly appreciate more fish, considering how I was still hungry, even after eating an entire basketful.

"**Toothless, I… Th-Thank you. Really.**" I thanked sincerely, trying my hardest to keep any tears from surfacing. I didn't want to worry him more than he already was. "**On one condition,**" He said abruptly. I blinked in surprise. What condition could he be talking about? I'll glad do whatever condition he puts on, but it still took me by surprise.

What shocked even further was when he walked up to me and rubbed against my neck, nuzzling me. Our scales rubbed together intimately, and I couldn't help but stand there, frozen in surprise. "**Take better care of yourself from here on out, alright? If we're gonna go find your brother, then I don't want you collapsing from exhaustion… it'd worry me too much.**" He said, still resting his snout on my neck. I struggled to keep from getting choked up, sucking down a shaky breath. He truly cared, didn't he? "**O-of course, you have my word.**" I managed to say, nodding numbly. I felt his sigh softly, his warm breath tingling against my scales, before stepping back a couple feet. I briefly lamented the loss of warmth, although I didn't understand why. We stood there silently for a couple moments, my brain still trying to wrap around what just happened.

Toothless broke me out of my thoughts when he gestured towards the fish again, a small smirk on his scaly muzzle. "**This cod isn't gonna eat itself, you know.**"

I could feel my face heat up once more, before I nodded rapidly. "**R-right…**"

As we ate, I couldn't help but notice that these fish tasted better than the ones I had eaten alone.

* * *

**And there we have it. Chapter two is officially in the books for you guys. Mostly fluff in this one, but next chapter will have some plot in it, and then we will finally find out what in the world happened to Morgan... in chapter 4. So, if you liked this story enough, leave me a follow so you don't miss the upcoming updates in the coming weeks, and while you're at it, why don't you leave a review? Again, thanks for taking the time to read this far, and I'll see you guys next Saturday!**


	4. 3: Thorn in my Side

**Saturday is once again upon us, and that means it's time for another chapter of this ol' story of mine! Today I got some fluff, interactions, and a fight scene for you guys, so buckle down and get your scrolling finger ready to go!**

**Again, I'll try to follow the weekly Saturday upload schedule, but I might take the next week off cause it's spring break, so don't get your hopes up for another update, since I may not upload until two weeks from now. Feel free to yell at me if I miss a day, and I'll try to get right on it.**

**Anyhow, without further ado, here's another chapter of,**

**A Future Past, a New Fate**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own either of these franchises, but if I did, I would've made the support conversations in Fates better.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Thorn in my Side**

* * *

Shortly after me and Toothless finished off his portion of the cod, Hiccup had come over, (a wide grin stretched across his face for whatever reason) telling us that since I had slept in so late, noon to be exact, they would have to get going to the dragon academy. I was disheartened upon hearing that, but he said they would only be gone for four hours or so, so I would just have to find something to occupy the time while they were gone. As I watched Toothless flash me a smile before leaping off into the sky with Hiccup on his back, I thought to myself, 'Of course I can fend off boredom for four measly hours. I've done it before for much longer than that!'

Fifteen minutes in, and I realized just how wrong I was to think that.

I sighed in frustration as another minute ticked by after what seemed like an hour. Gods, I had never felt so bored in my life. With Toothless and Hiccup gone and the excitement over this morning's meal, I was forced to cope with the fact that my body was very much still tired and sore, and it would protest with me just opening my wings. So that meant flying was out, and going into the village was out since I didn't really want to attract that much attention to myself right now. I would only meet with Hiccup's friends and that's it. So, with no other options, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity for me to get a much-needed nap. With that sentiment, I slowly walked over to the side of Hiccup's hut, not really wanting to go though that infernal doorway, and curled up against the wooden structure. I quickly found myself entering a deep sleep, which was devoid of any dreams.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of large flapping wings around me.

My eyelids slowly cracked open, the evening sun filtering through the blue orbs. It looked to be later in the day, the sun just over the horizon, the beautiful colors of the sky coming out once more to create another picture-perfect setting. I blinked a couple times to get the sleep out of my eyes before yawning, my wings subconsciously stretching out behind me. I was happy to feel that they felt almost as good as new, only feeling a slight tinge of pain under the muscle fibers. I was a little amazed that I had recovered so quickly, giving my wings an experimental flap. No pain. 'Dragons must be able to heal wounds faster, because if I were that sore as a human then I would be out of commission for at _least _five days,' I mused, slowly getting to my feet and stretching out my body, almost like a cat would.

My mind went back to the flapping wings I thought I had heard earlier. Perhaps Toothless and Hiccup were back? I glanced around the area, before my eyes settled on a dragon that was absolutely _not _Toothless. In front of me was a dragon that held a similar appearance to the one Astrid had flown in on, but it had a different coloration, having a dark maroon red scales where the blue one should have been. It's underbelly was still the same white, however, along with the undersides of it's wings. It eyed me with a dangerous gleam in it's expression. My look did not change, but on the inside I was already formulating a plan of attack if things went south. The dragon looked me up and down, before scoffing. "**So, this is the new Shadowshifter the others have been talking about? I must say, I'm not entirely impressed.**" He mocked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. I inwardly bristled at his comment, my eyes and pupils narrowing. "**I'm sorry, have we met?**" I asked harshly, not at all liking this dragon's attitude.

Said dragon smirked before chuckling lowly. "**I am Redthorn, although you may call me Thorn.**" He greeted, although he didn't sound sincere at all.

I resisted the urge to teach this dragon a lesson in manners. "**Charmed.**" I replied, my stony expression not changing. "**Is there any particular reason you wanted to see me? You're the first dragon to do so.**" I asked, although I was actually curious about this. If he was correct about others talking about me, then why was he the first to talk with me?

His smirk turned to an angry frown, as if he swallowed some of Kjelle's cooking. "**The others are afraid of what **_**Toothless**_**,**" He spat the name out like it was a bit of poison. "**Would do to them should they get too close. But me… I know that without him here, you're nothing but a helpless damsel, no better than a trophy mate.**" I was a little surprised by that. Were they truly so afraid of Toothless that they wouldn't get anywhere near me? But he was such a nice and polite dragon…

Redthorn begin to circle around me menacingly, his tail held up behind him. I just noticed the spikes on his tail were raised, looking sharp and deadly. I slowly crouched lower, not liking where this unpleasant encounter was going. "**I came here to prove something… to prove that I am better than any blasted Shadowshifter. Perhaps if I defeat you in combat…**" The spikes shifted dangerously. "**He will think twice before messing with me again!**" He exclaimed, looking ready to pounce and tear me to shreds.

But I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath, not letting his words rile me up. Provoking your enemy was a common thing for the low level grunts of the Grimleal to do, and it allowed them to lower your defenses so they could kill you more easily. But I never allowed them to get to me. "**Normally I would love to have a friendly spar, but you… I think I will pass. Thank you for the offer, Redthorn, but I must **_**decline**_**.**" I replied, emphasizing the last word so he would fully understand that I didn't want to fight. I began to turn away and walk towards Hiccup's house, wanting to get inside and away from this lunatic.

I heard his growl behind me. "**You damn Shifters are nothing but **_**cowards**_**. Perhaps if you weren't so scared of everything, your race would still be alive and well, but here we are, the last two Shifters of their own damn kind!**" He shot at my retreating form, sounding more and more heated as time went on. I simply trudged on, ignoring his hateful words.

"**Is suppose that's how your wimp of a father and whore mother died as well? On the run from something they were too **_**weak **_**for? Or of old age after hiding away from everything for too long?**"

I froze.

My neck slowly turned to look back at the dragon who was mocking me, my eyes blazing with a fury I hadn't felt for a long time. He smirked upon noticing me stop. "**Oh, did I hit a nerve there?**" He asked, feigning concern.

That was the last thing I let him say before I roared with the fury of a thousand suns, rushing over to him in the blink of an eye, my wings outstretched and my claws ready to _kill_.

* * *

~Toothless~

* * *

The dragon academy, as usual, was boring. Watching these kids try to find the best spots for scratching a dragon got old _quick. _At least I hadn't been the one subjected to their tiny hands. I winced, remembering a boy with particularly long claws try to scratch Meatlug, his flimsy hands scraping against her tough hide with audible scraping noises. That could _not _have felt good…

Ah, well, at least the young hatchlings seemed to enjoy themselves, and that was their goal at the end of the day, so you could say the academy today went well. Now, however, me and Hiccup were gathering all of riders and the dragons together. The reason? We thought it was time they met Lucina. Fishlegs and Astrid were with us at the academy, so those were two down. The twins were off causing trouble in the Great Hall, letting loose a few Smallshots in the very wooden, very _flammable _dining area, Barf and Belch providing the distraction they needed with that gas that I hate so much. Snotlout was… well, flirting with Hiccup's birth mother, which I found odd. She seemed amused by the whole thing, and Hookfang could do nothing but sit back and watch his rider make a fool of himself, exasperated. Cloudjumper was also amused with everything, although more with Hookfang's reaction.

Once we had gathered everybody up, which had taken a bit longer than it was supposed to, Hiccup went to explain the situation to the other humans, and I explained what was going on to the dragons.

I growled in a low, non-threatening manner, catching the other dragon's attention. I briefly smiled at the perks of being the Alpha, but continued onwards. "**Well, gang, today me and Hiccup found something that we thought would surprise you,**" I began, glancing between the five dragons in front of me as I spoke. Stormfly, who already knew who I was talking about, said nothing, but gave me an approving look.

Barf and Belch looked at each other, seemingly unimpressed. "**What could,**" Barf said, before Belch picked up where his twin left off. "**Possibly surprise,**"

"**Us now?**"

Cloudjumper nodded benevolently. "**Yes, there isn't much that could surprise me, Toothless. Unless, you somehow managed to find another Shadowshifter, which, might I remind you is impossible, since me and my rider have searched for years without luck.**" I couldn't help but smirk after he was done talking. He had hit the surprise dead on and didn't even know it!

"**Well,**" I said, stretching out that word for a good three seconds. "**About that…**"

Meatlug let out a small gasp, her eyes widening. "**Wait, you mean?...**"

Hookfang, to her right, started to laugh good heartedly, walking up to me and patting me on the back. "**I can't believe it! You finally got yourself a girl, eh Toothless? Naga be damned, I thought you were gonna be a loner forever!**" He teased, smirking the whole time.

I huffed, rolling my eyes. "**Thanks for the vote of confidence.** **And I will neither confirm nor deny your claim that I 'got a girl'.**" I shot back. That insufferable smirk never once left his face. "**Right, right.**" He said, plodding back over to join the other dragons.

"**Toothless.**" Cloudjumper's voice caught my attention, sounding more serious than usual. "**Is it true? Have you found another Shadowshifter?**" The large dragon asked, his brow furrowed. I grinned cheekily. "**Well, you'll just have to wait and see!**" I said, not willing to tell them anything more. Cloudjumper simply scowled in response.

The others turned their attention away from me, conversing among themselves as to what exactly this thing was that I wanted to show them. I was grateful for this small lull in conversation.

Because otherwise, I would've missed a faint roar in the distance, a familiar roar. My ears stood straight up, and my eyes widened considerably. 'That was… Lucina!' I realized, recognizing her roar from our first meeting. I forgot all about introducing the others to Lucina, rushing over to my rider with only one thought running through my head on a loop. 'Lucina's in trouble.'

He was still talking to his friends when I almost bowled him over, catching him off guard. "Woah, bud! What's gotten you riled u-" his playful tone shifted immediately upon seeing my fearful expression. "Toothless? What's the matter?" He asked, now completely serious.

"**Lucina, she's in trouble. I heard her roar from here!**" I relayed quickly, twisting my body so my rider could quickly jump on. His face contorted into one of worry almost immediately. "What?! Oh, of course something has to go wrong," He exclaimed before vaulting onto my back, quickly hooking his leg into the slot. "C'mon, bud, let's go!"

"**Don't have to tell me twice,**" I said, shooting off into the sky. I could hear the other humans shouting after us, but I paid them no heed, as did Hiccup. We both had one goal in mind, and that was to make sure she was okay. We sped through the skies together as one, our movements in perfect unison.

I could only hope that we didn't get there too late.

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

My sudden attack took Redthorn by surprise, judging by his shocked squawk. Taking advantage of him being off guard, I quickly spun and slammed my left wing into the side of his neck, feeling the sensitive muscles there get impacted by the force of my (apparently) powerful wing muscles. He grunted in pain, stumbling back a couple feet. I didn't stop there, carrying my momentum through and swinging my tail into his head, sending him reeling to the side. I swiftly took a defensive stance, knowing that if I pushed further it would leave me open. True to my assumption, he righted himself quickly, glaring at me with hate filled eyes. "**Big mistake!**" He growled out, before rushing forward with his tail spikes outstretched, tail curled in anticipation. He whipped his tail forward, sending a volley spikes at me. My eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to have a projectile attack. Thankfully, my reflexes were honed to be near impeccable, and I quickly dropped and rolled to the side, clambering to my paws. His assault didn't stop there, swinging with one of his claws once I rose out of my roll. Thinking quickly, I ducked under his outstretched wing before spinning and clipping his legs with my tail, sending him sprawling onto the grassy floor. I didn't follow through with the momentum this time around, however, righting myself and staring down my opponent. He was getting desperate, if his heavy breathing and erratic movements as he rose to his clawed feet were any indication. He growled once more, before opening his mouth, a glow of orange visible in the back of his throat. My eyes narrowed in anticipation, awaiting whatever surprise he had in store.

"**DIE!**" He roared, before unleashing a torrent of flame in my direction. I sprung high into the air at the last second, feeling the immense heat the fire held on my hind legs, the flames licking my scales. Once I was at the peak of my jump, I glared at Redthorn before employing a skill that my father had taught me so long ago; Aether. I forced my momentum forward, tucking my body in and using my front body weight to send myself into a rapid spin. Normally, to perform this technique, I would have to have a sword in hand, but my claws will do just fine. When I was mere feet in front of my target, I unfurled my body, catching a glimpse of a surprised and fearful dragon before I slammed into him, holding his head to the floor by his neck as we slip a couple yards from the amount of momentum behind that attack.

He coughed, wings limp at his sides. "**Urgh… Damn… you…!**" Redthorn managed to choke out, glaring at me hatefully, even though he was at a severe disadvantage. My claws could crush his neck in an instant, but as much as I wanted to, that would make me no better than a murderer. I had taken a human life only a few times before, and it left me with a sick feeling in my stomach every time I did so. I avoided killing people whenever I could, but this dragon was making it _very _hard to not just end his life right now. "**You can mock me all you want…**" I said, my eyes almost slits as I spoke with a rage that I didn't know I had. A flash of fear went through his once arrogant eyes. "**But you will **_**NEVER **_**talk about my family like that, EVER AGAIN!**" I yelled in his face, causing him to shrink back with every word. I was just so Godsdamned angry! What right did he have to call the ones I loved cowards? To mock them?! Did he have _any idea _what I've _BEEN THROUGH?!_

My anger reaching it's peak, I felt something welling up inside of me, something… hot. Volatile. I felt the sudden urge to open my mouth, and when I did so I face a purple light emanating onto Thorn's terrified muzzle, accompanied with a low hissing noise.

I suddenly felt my teeth _move, _and I quickly turned my head away from my assailant, blasting a ball of flame that shot across the ground before exploding with a _crack _a few yards away, leaving a smoldering crater in the ground. I stared at the smoking remains of what used to be a patch of grass, my anger forgotten for a split second. 'What the…' I thought to myself, surprised at what I just did. That was at the same level of power as one of Morgan's Arcfire spells…

I felt Redthorn shift underneath me, trying to get away, but I held fast, my anger returning as I bared down upon him, malice clouding my vision. "**Consider **_**that **_**a warning shot.**" I growled, not noticing my teeth sliding back into view. "**Next time…**" I roughly shoved him to the side, removing my claws from his throat. "**I won't be so merciful.**"

Once he was free from my grip he quickly scrambled to his feet, scowling. His eyes were filled with raw hatred, all directed at me. "**Damn you Shadowshifters…**" He spat, before turning and flying away into the village with what little dignity he had. I waited until he was out of sight, then sighed in relief, my muscles finally relaxing. If there was one thing that I wasn't expecting to happen today, it was an actual fight with another dragon. It was good to know I wasn't getting rusty.

"**Lucina!**" "Lucina!" I blinked in surprise when two voices yelled my name. Looking over to my left, I caught the sight of one extremely worried looking dragon and one worried looking rider. I hadn't expected Toothless and Hiccup to be back so soon. 'I must've been asleep for longer than I thought…' I thought to myself, watching them touch down on the ground before hurrying over to me. "Are you alright, Lucina? I saw the end of that tussle you had there with that Nadder," He asked, circling around me and checking my body over for injuries.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but Toothless interrupted me by walking up and nuzzling the side of my head, making small crooning sounds as he did so. "**I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help… you're not hurt, are you?**" He asked, concern prominent in his speech. I felt my face heat up from the intimate contact, but I was getting used to it. It was just how Toothless showed affection. I couldn't help but lean a little into his touch, finding his warm scales comforting. "**I'm fine, Toothless. I can take care of myself,**" I assured, although my wing did ache a bit from where I hit him. His scales were tougher than I anticipated.

He snorted a bit in amusement, stepping away from me. "**I could see that, but that doesn't mean you didn't worry me!**" He said, his eyes flashing with laughter, and what almost seemed like a hint of admiration.

"Well, no injuries on this end," Hiccup said from my side, the feeling of my wing being lifted upwards followed by a hand running along the scales underneath causing the muscles to tense slightly. "I recognized that Nadder from our mission last week… did he say something to you?" The chieftain asked from his position under my wing, his voice muffled slightly.

I went to answer, then hesitated. I wasn't quite ready to tell them the story of my mother and father yet… perhaps some other time in the future. "**He arrived while I was sleeping, throwing hateful words my way. After a short talk, he challenged me to a duel, which I tried to decline, but… I let my anger get the best of me.**" I relayed to the two just as Hiccup walked into view, apparently satisfied with his inspection.

Toothless growled, his teeth glinting sharply in the evening sun. "**I knew that Thorntail would be trouble! Should've just left him there on the trapper's boat after he tried to fight me,**" he glowered.

I blinked in surprise. Redthorn had mentioned something about wanting to prove that he's better than any Shadowshifter… perhaps he was talking about getting back at Toothless for losing to him. But then, why fight me? Did he think that I was important to Toothless?

For some reason, just the thought of that brought butterflies to my stomach.

Hiccup's brow furrowed, trying to make sense of the situation. "He didn't seem entirely fond of you, to say the least, but I'm surprised he would go as far as to attack Lucina…" He sighed to himself as he put a hand on his chin.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly interrupted whatever thoughts the three of us had, and we turned to face a group of six other humans touch down on the patch of land in front of us, each of them riding a different dragon. The six quickly unhitched themselves from the backs of their dragons, Astrid leading them with the rounder boy bringing up the rear. "Why did you just take off like that, you dope?! You could've at least said something!" She exclaimed, clearly angry at the now sheepish chieftain.

While Hiccup was busy tripping his way through some made up explanation, I took the time to inspect our new guests. I had already met Astrid (who was starting to feel more and more like a blonde Severa), but the other five were new to me. The man on Astrid's left was shorter than her, but seemed to have muscle than anything, as evidenced by his bulging biceps when he folded his arms. 'Kind of reminds me of Laurent's father,' I mused, the burly axe-wielder coming to mind. To his right were two almost identical looking people, save for the fact one was a man and the other was a woman. Twins, I'm guessing. I haven't met any twins before, but I've heard the bond they hold is as unbreakable as steel.

That may not have been true, however, because soon after Hiccup started explaining the situation to them they started to argue with each other before dropping and exchanging blows as they rolled along the ground, yelling about some trivial thing the whole time. I shook my head in amusement, my mind wandering to the times Morgan and I had sparred. They could sometimes get a little heated, but it was all in good fun. The portly boy that I had seen behind them stood next to the taller, older woman, arms lax at his sides as he nervously glanced back and forth between Hiccup and Astrid. Reminds me of Yarne when Severa would yell at others in front of him.

The taller women I mentioned is who caught my attention. She was clad in an armor set that was painted blue and brown, which was most _definitely _not for show. The shoulder pads especially looked well crafted and solid. For some reason, her face seemed… familiar. Hiccup's talking caused me to look towards him, and I realized what the familiarity was. He held a striking resemblance to this mystery woman, their jawlines and features very similar. I looked back over to the woman, looking her over again. 'Similar builds, too… perhaps she's Hiccup's mother?' A pang of loneliness and regret washed over me, but I quickly shook it off. This wasn't about me.

It seems that the woman knew that somebody was watching her, because for a moment her brow furrowed in confusion, her eyes dancing around her before settling on me, the striking green orbs set dead on my own. She gasped, her eyes widening intensely as she realized what exactly she was looking at, her head snapping to Toothless, who was standing wingtip-to-wingtip with me, and back to me, her mouth agape with shock. I sighed inwardly. 'Here we go again…' I thought bitterly, not liking any unwanted attention I brought to myself. People in Ylisse had almost worshipped me as some sort of hero back in Ylisse, but I never thought myself to be any sort of hero. I couldn't save any of my aunts or uncles… I couldn't save my parents… what hero let's people die? I understood why they praised me, but I couldn't help but think… I didn't deserve it.

"Oh, Odin… Hiccup! You've… you've found another Night Fury?!" The older woman's voice brought me out of deep rooted thoughts, the surprise in her voice and on her face extremely evident even for someone like me, who was not the best when it comes to emotions… or humor.

Hiccup paused in his small excuse-making, turning to look at the woman, then back to me. The rest of Hiccup's friends just started to notice me as well, different variations of surprise plastered over their expressions (save for Astrid, who had already known about my existence). "Well, there goes the dramatic effect…" He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yep, she's the surprise I was talking about back in the academy. Mom, Lucina. Lucina, Valka." He introduced, gesturing between me and the woman, who I now knew that she was, indeed, Hiccup's mother. She slowly walked up to me, hands outstretched in front of her, an awestruck look on her face. I was a little tense, not quite ready for a complete stranger to get so close, let alone touch me, but I reminded myself that this woman was Hiccup's own kin. If she was anything like said chieftain, she wouldn't hurt me.

She placed an open palm on the center of my muzzle, the leathery texture of the almost half-gloves she was wearing rubbing up against my scales. I held myself from flinching back, and eventually I found myself relaxing around her. Then she started to scratch me behind the ears, sending sudden pleasurable waves down my back. "She's beautiful… I thought there were none left," I heard her say to Hiccup, but I was more focused on the impromptu scratches she was giving me. For some reason, her nails against my rough, scaly skin felt like somebody was running a comb against my body, but it just felt so damn _good_. 'This feels… way better… than it should…' I thought, leaning my head into her hand as she continued to work behind my head. The sensations her hands were sending through my body was comparable to the massage Toothless had given my wings just last night. 'It must have something to do with my new muscles… Perhaps they're easily stimulated for pleasure in certain places?' It would make sense, considering there's still so much about this draconic body that I have no clue about.

She eventually stopped, removing her hands from my ears and moving onto the side of my body. I blinked in confusion when she abruptly quit what she was doing, tilting my head to the side as I watched her move. I cringed when she unfurled one of my wings, a twinge of pain making itself known as she did so. I probably pushed my wings too hard during the fight with Redthorn. Thankfully, she wasn't too rough with it, carefully fanning it out and holding it lightly in her hands. "Impressive! must be a good flier," she noted, inspecting the appendage from every angle.

Hiccup seemed to have noticed my discomfort with her handling my wing like that, because he quickly hobbled over, hands in front of him in a universal 'stop' signal. "I'd be careful with her wings, mom. She's traveled a long ways from home, and her wings are still sore from her journey." He explained.

Valka's eyes widened some, then she nodded, very careful letting go of my wing which allowed me to fold it up against my side once more. "I apologize, it's just… Hiccup, I've spent _years_ looking for any signs of the remaining Night Furies, and all I got were a couple rumors and legends! This is an incredible find!" She said to her son, moving away from her spot near my wing, which I was grateful for. The scratches she gave me felt good, but handling my wing was a bit much. It was at that time the rest of Hiccup's friends had decided to walk up next to him, the portly one looking especially giddy. "There's two of them… I'm never gonna win another dragon race again, am I?" The burly one asked rhetorically, looking exasperated.

Astrid snorted, smirking. "Well, to never win one again, you would actually have to win one…" She pointed out. The two twins laughed behind her when she said that. "Yeah, even Ruffnut's won a race before." The boy said, gesturing to his twin sister. She scoffed in reply. "I even had this guy as my teammate, so you know it was extra hard," she shot back. The boy they were mocking sputtered indignantly, before turning away from the three, crossing his arms and grumbling angrily.

'What a lovely relationship they have…' I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes at their behavior.

Hiccup looked at the whole debacle with an amused smile on his face, before turning to me. "Well, Lucina, these are the people Astrid was talking about yesterday. We've got Snotlout," he pointed at the burly boy. "The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut," my gaze turned to the two blonde twins, who looked about two remarks away from getting into another scuffle. "Fishlegs," he gestured towards the portly boy, who was quite literally shaking with excitement as he looked over me. "And my mom, Valka." He finished with his mother, who bowed her head respectfully in my direction. I nodded in return, causing her to smile sweetly. "**They sure are a… lively bunch, to say the least.**" I said, chuckling lightly.

I heard Toothless chuff in amusement, walking up beside me. "**That's the understatement of the eon.**" He agreed, laughing alongside me.

Fishlegs finally decided to speak up, eyes wide with wonder. "Hiccup, does this mean that there are _more _Night Furies out there? This could be _huge!_" He exclaimed.

Hiccup responded by putting a hand to his chin. "Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I want to believe yes, but everything we've searched says no. But now that Lucina's here… that changes everything," He answered, looking deep in thought. I looked at Toothless, who was looking between all of the humans with watchful eyes. Had he really been the last of his kind before I showed up? 'I could only imagine how lonely that must've been… at least I had my family to keep me company in our bleak time.' I thought with pity.

Said Night Fury (or was it Shadowshifter?) seemed to take notice I was looking at him, his gaze moving from the humans to me. "**Something wrong, Luci?**" He asked, catching me off guard with the use of Morgan's nickname for me.

"**Luci?**" I asked without thinking, my head tilting in confusion. His eyes widened at that, as if realizing what he had just said. "**O-oh, sorry, I-I didn't mean to…**" He stammered before turning away, a guilty look on his face. If he wasn't pitch black in coloration, I'm certain his face would be beet red in embarrassment.

I chuckled lightly, then, acting on impulse, walked up to him and nuzzled against the side of his neck, enjoying the warmth of his scales. He seemed to freeze up when I did so for some reason, though. Didn't he do this earlier today? I'm sure it was just a way dragons showed affection. "**Don't be. I'm just surprised that you and Morgan call me the same thing,**" I said, grinning slightly before ending the contact. He stayed frozen like that for longer than I anticipated, his eyes seemingly locked on some far away place, the black pupils within those acid-green pools enlarged considerably compared to how they normally were.

I raised a nonexistent eyebrow, eyeing him questionably. "**Are you alright, Toothless?**" I asked him, moving in front of him so I could try and get his attention. It did get a reaction, just not the one I was expecting, as he suddenly yelled out in surprise, flaring his wings out and knocking himself back a few feet. I watched, confused and somewhat amused at the same time as he quickly righted himself back on his feet, now looking even more embarrassed. "**I-I, Yeah, I-I'm fine! Don't worry about me, heh,**" He stammered awkwardly, trying his hardest to force a gummy smile.

"**Well, I'll be damned!**" A deeper voice interrupted me before I could ask what was wrong, and a dragon suddenly landed next to Toothless, looking very proud and smug at the same time. I was instantly on guard, since I have never seen this dragon before and his coloration was strikingly similar to that of Redthorn. "**And here I thought you were lying about gettin' a girl!**" The newcomer said in a friendly way, patting the still shell-shocked Toothless on the back with a claw. I instantly felt my face heat up at what the new dragon said. "**That's… we're not…**" I struggled to find the right words, my stomach starting to twist itself into a knot and my heart warming my chest.

The new dragon looked over to me, his slit eyes roaming over my body with a scrutinizing gaze, almost like he was testing me. He stayed like that for a moment, before he grinned widely, his razor sharp teeth doing nothing to help offset the edge I felt. Just because I was comfortable around Toothless, doesn't mean I was comfortable around other dragons. "**There's the lucky girl!**" The… _Monstrous _dragon said, walking up to me with that grin still on his face. 'Stay strong… Toothless won't let him hurt you,' I told myself, and for some reason, that seemed to calm my nerves.

He patted me roughly on the back, and I lurched forward, grimacing. "**Name's Hookfang. Don't you worry, Toothless here'll treat you right.**" He said.

I chuckled dryly, not particularly enjoying Hookfang's company at the moment. "**E-er, r-right… I'll keep that in mind,**" I replied half heartedly, still not liking how he was calling me and Toothless a couple. I mean, I used to be human, and he was a _dragon. _It just… didn't make sense.

'But you're a dragon now as well.' The logical part of my brain replied back, and I scowled. That didn't mean _anything. _He was still a dragon.

A well-mannered… nice… somewhat cute dragon…

Aaagh! Enough with these thoughts, Lucina! I shook my head, trying to rid myself of these impure daydreams.

"**Oh, quit scaring her, Hookfang! She looks about ready to jump out of her skin!**" Another unfamiliar voice shot at said dragon. Hookfang groaned and turned to look at an approaching dragon, who I recognized as Astrid's mount. "**Ah, c'mon, Stormfly! I'm just trying to lighten up the mood,**" he said, eyes narrowing.

Toothless, who seemed to have recovered from whatever he was embarrassed about, walked up next to me almost protectively, eying Hookfang with what almost looked like exasperation and annoyance. "**I didn't know adding more weight to it was a way to lighten something…**" He said, causing Hookfang to snort in response, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Stormfly sighed lightly, shaking her head while chuckling. "**Don't mind him, that's just the way he acts in front of newcomers. I'm Stormfly,**" She greeted while stretching her body, her tail curling itself out while the spines rose up in down in a wave-like pattern.

'There's still so much I have to learn…' I thought to myself, watching her tail move with intrigue. The way dragons interacted was so different from humans. "**Lucina. Nice to meet you.**" I greeted, already liking her company more than Hookfang's.

Stormfly smiled at this, looking over to Toothless who still stood protectively by my side. "**He isn't wrong, though. There isn't a more loyal dragon in the world than Toothless, he'll keep you safe.**" She said, nodding over to said Night Fury. I blushed heavily as she said that, not expecting her to start matching me and Toothless together as well. 'What is it with everyone thinking me and Toothless are together?' I wondered, not understanding where they were getting it from.

I was beginning to reach my social limit when _three more _dragons suddenly appeared, all with different statures. There was one that was smaller than the rest of the dragon, but it more than made up for it with the bulk it had, a huge jaw likely capable of crushing boulders along with two tiny wings atop it's back. 'How would it even fly?' I wondered, trying to figure out how those tiny wings were able to even lift it. I'm… not going to lie, I was a tad frightened of the dragon that landed next to it, it's two green heads both looking at me with unwavering eyes. Creepy…

Of course, those dragons were nothing in comparison to the sheer intimidation factor of the dragon that touched down just seconds after. It stood a couple feet over me, it's flattened face gazing at me with an unreadable expression on it's face. I swallowed in fear, the massive wings on it's back and the wings on it's front claws giving the impression that it was no slouch when it came to flying. 'I wouldn't want to fight _that _dragon…' I thought, taking in the rippling muscles that were visible underneath it's scaly skin.

The two headed dragon quickly bounded over to me, and I shrunk back in fear as they twisted their heads around me as they moved, as if trying to look at me from every possible angle. "**Wow, Toothless,**" The head on the left said, before being cut off by the head on the right. "**You weren't,**" It continued, then paused, allowing the head on the left to finish up the sentence. "**Lying!**"

'That's going to get annoying fast,' I thought to myself when I realized they were alternating between themselves as they spoke. I heard Toothless huff in exasperation. "**Right, cause I'm totally known to be a liar…**" He muttered, rolling his eyes.

The large dragon walked up to us, standing tall over us on it's hind legs with it's chest pushed outward, it's stance almost regal. "**Forgive us for disbelieving, but… I thought there were no more Shadowshifters left. I had searched with Valka for years, and… nothing.**" The dragon said, it's tone of voice not what I expected at all. He turned to me with the last part, his eyes curious. "**How did you escape our attention for so long? It is truly curious…**"

"**I… come from a place far away. Ylisse.**" I said after a brief pause, not wanting to say anything wrong. I did _not _want to get onto these dragon's bad sides…

"**Ylisse? Where's that? I've never heard of an island named Ylisse,**" The dragon with the small wings said, _her _head tilting curiously to the side.

I was quicker on the draw this time, remembering the explanation I gave Toothless. "**That's because it's not in the archipelago. It's past the sea, an entirely different continent.**" I explained, trying my hardest to make it sound convincing.

Well, as convincing as I could while I had multiple terrifying dragons staring me down.

I heard Hookfang chuckle. "**Ooh, an exotic Shadowshifter? You got lucky with her…**" He teased, which Toothless just responded to with a roll of his eyes. He was reacting to all these accusations better than I was, at least… if I were still human, my face would probably be permanently red.

"**Oh, wow!**" The two headed dragon began.

"**That's so far!**" The one on the right said.

"**It's nice to meet you! I'm Barf,**" The left head, now named… _Barf _(Eugh…)… greeted.

"**And I'm Belch!**" The right head said, flashing her a goofy smile. _Belch? _Just who was in charge of these names? Owain would think of something better in a heartbeat…

The bulky dragon simply raised a claw in greeting, a big grin on her face. "**Name's Meatlug, good to meet you.**" She greeted. I held back a cringe. It was a good thing Owain wasn't here, he'd probably have a heart attack from how horrible these Vikings were at naming things. At least Stormfly and Hookfang were somewhat fitting.

"**My name is Cloudjumper. It is nice to meet you.**" The large, four-winged dragon greeted, a soft smile on his flattened muzzle. I couldn't help but smile back, feeling a tad more comfortable around these dragons (save for Hookfang). Although I wasn't going to be these dragons anytime soon like Toothless did for me, I could at least learn to slightly enjoy their company.

"**It's nice to meet you all. You may call me Lucina.**" I returned their friendly greeting, bowing my head slightly.

Barf and Belch gasped, turning to look at each other for a brief moment before looking towards Toothless, who's expression was a mix between embarrassed beyond belief and protectiveness towards me. "**Such a pretty name!**" Barf complimented, followed by Belch. "**You're one lucky dragon, Toothless.**"

I blushed from their complement, and was about to thank them… then they said the second part, and now I was sure I was going to die from embarrassment.

"**Ha! Yeah, lucky I didn't get to her first!**" Hookfang remarked, laughing harshly. I instantly cringed heavily at that, blushing as more than a few unsavory images coming to mind. I could tell Toothless didn't find that comment amusing, either, giving Hookfang a stony glare. "**Uh-huh. Right.**" He deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"Showin' off your new girlfriend, Toothless? I know I would!" Tuffnut teased, suddenly appearing next to Barf and Belch. It seemed Hiccup and his friends were done observing us, making their way to where we were conversing. Ruffnut scoffed, sending her twin a disbelieving look. "Please. The day you get a girlfriend is the day Eret stops secretly crushing on me."

"So, I should've had a girlfriend months ago then? He's never had a crush on you!" Tuffnut shot back.

"He's probably just biding his time. He'll come around, I'm sure…" Ruffnut said, grinning with a dreamy look on her face. Tuffnut responded by rolling his eyes, leaning on Barf's side.

"Well, it is common for other dragon species to show off their mates. I'm sure Night Furies are no different," Fishlegs added, ignoring the twin's bickering.

I simply groaned as I listened to all the conversation, wishing I could curl up into a ball and disappear from this heavy embarrassment. Why does everyone seem so keen on me and Toothless being together? We're just friends, acquaintances! Sure, he might've done some things that were a little… intimate, but again, I'm sure that's just how he shows affection.

I glanced over to Toothless, who seemed just as embarrassed and exasperated as I did, a paw resting heavily on his muzzle. "**Oh, Naga, when will this conversation **_**end…**_" He muttered into his claws.

"**It's like they don't even care how we feel,**" I agreed, sighing in exhaustion, both mental and physical. Since the excitement of my fight with Redthorn has ended, the adrenaline that had initially been coursing through my body has now run it's course, my tiredness now making itself clear. I didn't feel as bad as this morning, but still really damn sore.

Hiccup, having finished with explaining to the riders what exactly happened with Lucina, walked over to the two of us. …Well, it was more of a hobble with his prosthetic, but I wasn't one to point that out. He took a look at the two of us, grimacing. "Yeah, that must not have been the most comfortable of talks, to say the least," he said dryly, rubbing the top of my head softly. I could feel his emotions touch me once more, a combination of amusement and fatigue. Thankfully, I was more prepared for his touch than the first time, not flinching back from shock like I did before.

He ended the contact, and with it the connection between our emotions. I blinked, confused after he moved his hand from me to Toothless. 'Those emotions… is that what he was feeling right then?' Looking back to when he first made contact with me, I remembered the overwhelming wave of emotions that had almost bowled me over and cause me to flinch back. Does he have some kind of special ability that allows him to feel a dragon's emotions, and vice versa? It would explain why the dragons seem so at ease in his presence, and why I had felt so comfortable around him after he touched the top of my head. I had felt his emotions.

"You both look exhausted, so why don't we go for a quick fly then call it a night?" He suggested, going for a scratch under my chin. I leaned into his touch, my tailfins twitching involuntarily from the masterful use of his fingers. "**That sounds… nice…**" I managed to get out in between scratches.

Hiccup chuckled, moving his hand back to his side (much to my dismay) before jogging over to the other riders, calling their names to get their attention. I heard Toothless laugh next to me, and glancing over to him I saw him give me a knowing smile. "**Seems like somebody enjoys his scratches~,**" He said teasingly, nudging me in the side.

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "**Don't push it,**"

"**I don't hear you denying it!**"

* * *

A short explanation to the other riders and an equally short goodbye left the three of us alone once more, just us and the setting sun. I sighed heavily, the weight of all the things I've done in the past couple days starting to finally catch up to me, my mind and body both exhausted.

I heard Toothless walk up next to me, nudging my side slightly with his wing. "**Tired?**" He asked, lying down beside me.

I nodded slowly, following suite and resting my weary muscles on the ground. "**There's just been so much excitement these past couple days…**" I said, glancing over to him with a soft smile. "**Meeting you two, the fight, that awkward conversation we just had… it's nice to just have a small rest every now and then.**"

A flicker of anger flashed through his eyes when I mentioned the fight. "**That Thorntail… Redthorn, right?**" He asked, turning to look me in the eyes. I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "**What did he say to you that made you so mad?**" He asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Hiccup, who was waving at the retreating forms of his friends as they left, hummed in agreement. "I've been curious about that too, actually. Didn't really peg you as the violent type," He added, sitting down next to the two of us.

"**I…**" I paused, not exactly sure what to say. My parents weren't exactly what one would call a comfortable subject to talk about for me. "**He just called me some… less than ideal names. That is all.**" I finished lamely, trying to sound at least somewhat convincing.

The look on Toothless's face clearly told me he didn't believe me for a second, but he relented, sighing as he looked towards the sky. "**Well, maybe a quick fly around the island will clear your mind,**" He said, suddenly standing up and shaking out the stiffness in his body.

My wings twitched at the mention of flying, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "**That sounds nice.**" I said, rising from my resting place on the ground and stretching my muscles out, trying to ignore the dull aches my sore body was giving off. A nice, calm flight sounds incredible right now, actually.

I heard a small click to my right, and looking over I saw Toothless and Hiccup already linked together on the saddle, the human sitting comfortably on Toothless's back. "Alright, you ready bud?" Said chieftain asked to his dragon, patting him on the head.

Toothless nodded excitedly. "**Like you even need to ask!**"

And with one swift, practiced motion, they flung themselves into the air, Toothless's powerful wing strokes literally leaving me in the dust. I coughed from the amount of particles he had kicked up, waving a paw in front of my face. When the dust cloud had cleared, I looked to the sky, only to see Toothless and Hiccup hovering in the air, the former with a cheeky smile on his muzzle. I rolled my eyes. "**Boys…**" I muttered before I leapt up into the air to join them, that pleasurable feeling of being up in the air making itself known again. I was up next to the duo in no time at all, giving them a deadpan glare. "**Was that really necessary?**"

Hiccup and Toothless both laughed at my misfortune, and although I was trying to stay mad, I couldn't help but find their laughter contagious, and soon I was laughing alongside them. It's been quite a long time since I've been able to joke around with friends, and I felt like I could say that recently I've been genuinely… happy.

* * *

Our flight was short, but sweet, the wind rejuvenating my spirit from all the excitement we've had recently. Just cruising through the sky, the breeze filling my wings beneath me… it was relaxing. By the time we touched back down in front of Hiccup's home, the sunset had bled into a starry sky, the lack of clouds giving everyone a clear view of the beautiful, dark blue expanse above. 'If only the skies were this beautiful back home…' I lamented, remembering the dark, cloudy skies under Grima's influence.

I struggled to keep from simply collapsing onto the ground when we entered the house, the crackling fireplace filling me with a comfortable warmth. 'Gods, I'm _exhausted_…' I thought tiredly to myself as I slowly walked over to the corner of the room where I had slept the night before. Hiccup had bid us both goodnight before walking up the stairs to his bedroom, and I heard a door open and shut from above.

Before I could fall into a tired heap on the floor, Toothless had walked up to me, an unreadable expression on his face. His tail shifted behind him as if he was shuffling nervously. "**Would you, uh… like me to groom you again? I know you must be tired, so…**" He timidly asked.

I was confused for a second, wondering what he meant by grooming, then I remembered the massage he had given me the night before. 'So _that's _what it's called…'

I recalled his tongue gliding across my scales, unwinding any knots or stress hidden under the musculature. While it was definitely on the intimate side of the relationship spectrum, I wasn't one to turn down such a kind offer, so I nodded, smiling tiredly at him. "**I would love that. Thank you, Toothless,**" I thanked him before slowly lowering my body to the ground, ready to conk out for the night.

I waited a few seconds, wondering when he was going to begin, then I felt that same leathery sensation on my wings from last night, and I sighed in relief as he worked his magic, my tail fins twitching in pleasure ever so slightly. 'Good Gods, How is he so good at this?' I wondered to myself, a rumbling noise emanating from deep down my throat as he glided his tongue across my wings, unraveling my stress with expert precision. I didn't know how he did it, but I've never felt a better massage in my life. For some reason, it was significantly less disturbing that he was using his tongue this time around, and I was just focusing on enjoying his work.

The relaxing sensations I was feeling paired with how mentally exhausted I felt was more than enough to lull me into a deep slumber, the world going dark around me and my senses fading to nothingness.

* * *

~Elsewhere~

* * *

Far off on the edge of the archipelago, a small island sat. It was known by only a scant few, and those scant few paid it no heed, considering it too small to do anything with, since it had no animals inhabiting it, no dragons, just wild foliage.

Today, the population count rose to one.

A hooded figure sat in the middle of the island, the black coat they were wearing able to hide whatever they looked like from the world. They took a small look around, their eyes hidden under the hood, before letting out an ominous laugh. "So, this is where those problem children have hid themselves…" The obviously female voice stated, a sinister smirk worming its way onto her face. "I thought they knew better than to go through an unstable portal,"

The figure sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter." She said, shrugging slightly. She raised a gloved hand, dark wisps of magic rising from her fingertips. "They should know by now…"

Her smirk turned into a full on evil, toothy smile, the magic increasing in power until it covered her whole arm.

"They can't escape FATE!"

* * *

**Another chapter come and gone. I had quite a bit of fun **_**and **_**trouble writing this chapter, mainly due to the fight scene and the introduction. I'm a little rusty when it comes to fight scenes, so tell me what y'all think. Anyhow, the main villain got introduced in this chapter, and I'm pretty sure anyone who's played Awakening or Heroes knows who this is.**

**Next chapter will finally get in on everyone's favorite tactician apprentice, Morgan! We'll start his story next time.**

**Don't forget to leave a review if you have compliments/criticism. Until next time!**


	5. 4: Way of the Tactician

**Welcome back to another chapter of A Future Past, a New Fate! Sorry about the brief hiatus I had last week, but I'm back again to give you a different perspective away from Toothless and Lucina; everyones favorite lad from afar, Morgan! These next couple chapters will shed some light on where exactly Morgan has been during Lucina's own little adventures, and what Toothless has been talking about when he mentioned something called 'Sight-Sharing'.**

**So, without further ado, please enjoy the latest installment of;**

**A Future Past, a New Fate**

**~ Chapter 4 ~**

**Way** **of** **the** **Tactician**

* * *

~Two days earlier~

* * *

The Isle of Langt Borte was not very well known to Vikings, save for the Wingmaidens due to their proximity. Since it was so far away from any other settlement of humans, however, dragons of all species had settled into the isle, coming and going as they please or simply settling down to make a nest. It had lush vegetation, plenty of fish and wild chickens for them to hunt, and vast open skies free of aggression from others. Some dragons called it the ideal resting spot during long flights, and others said it was a great spot to find mates or companionship of some kind. One thing that _didn't_ come to mind when one thought of Langt Borte, however, was a landing spot for knocked out human-turned-dragons that had just come from an entirely different world.

They would think differently after today.

In a particularly deep part of the forest on the isle, all was calm. The wind was still, the grass ever so slightly wavering, and the trees standing tall above the ground, preventing the sun from fully extending it's reach towards the ground. It was peaceful.

Perhaps a tad _too _peaceful, like the calm before the storm. If one were to pay attention very carefully to the feeling of the air around them, then they would feel an almost otherworldly energy buzzing silently with excitement, as if the air particles in the area were moving more rapidly, even though the temperature stayed the same and there was no wind. It was almost _eerie_ with how quiet it was.

Then the area exploded.

A huge amount of bright blue magical energy suddenly engulfed the surrounding foliage, swallowing up any tree within a six meter radius. It poked above the treeline, sending unnatural blue light shining into the clear skies. A low buzzing noise could be heard emanating from the light, filling whatever silence had been there before. It seemed to pulse rhythmically for a good fireball seconds, before suddenly going still, the buzzing coming to a stop. Then, with one last _woosh_ of movement, the energy collapsed upon itself, the light being extinguished as quickly as it appeared.

With the unnatural energy gone, the air was once again still. The trees back to standing tall above the ground, completely unphased by the light that had engulfed them. It was almost like nothing had even happened, the forest going back to it's normal peaceful state.

The only change was the unconscious dragon that had appeared when the light died down, lying limp on the forest floor. It's scales were a very dark blue, the only change in coloration on it's coat being the lighter scales on the back of it's left paw that formed an odd mark. It was the shape of a half circle with three prongs, two coming out of the side and one out of the bottom, encasing a hollow teardrop. It's wings seemed long and flexible, fit for long flights and deft movements, and it's claws, while a tad on the thin side, looked sharp and deadly.

The burst of light had scared off any wildlife around the area, leaving the surrounding woods completely barren, save for a sparrow that was not present for the supernatural event, simply passing through the area as it coasted along through trees. It had been flying for some time now, and it was looking for a spot to rest. The trees on Langt Borte had virtually no branches save for the top, and those branches were covered with thorns, so resting on a branch was out of the question. So, when it came across the sleeping dragon, the bird mistook the the dark blue scales as just a peculiar texture for a rock, and quickly flitted over to it's newfound resting place on one of the dragon's wings. It hovered for a brief moment before coming down to land on the very tip of the membrane, it's small talons gripping the scales beneath it.

That small contact was enough to make the slumbering lizard slightly aware of the world around it, the slight poking sensation of the bird's claws causing the beast to shift it's wings to throw whatever was prodding them off. The bird squawked, frightened, before quickly shooting off into the woods, it's small wings flapping as fast as it could.

A low rumbling sound emanated from deep within the dragon's throat as if it were groaning in irritation, it's senses beginning to return to the plane of consciousness.

Two twin orbs of grey slowly opened up to a new world for the first time.

* * *

~Morgan~

* * *

The first thing I felt when I woke up was pain. My entire body ached with a fierceness I had seldom felt before.

I held back a grunt, not wanting to shift my body whatsoever. I felt like I was run over by Cynthia's Pegasus… multiple times, over the course of three hours. Even the light breeze I felt rocked my body enough to make it sting. I had an almost forehead-splitting headache, my arms and legs barely had enough energy to move, and for some reason my back felt extra achy… more than usual, anyway.

'Good Gods, what happened to me?' I wondered to myself, scouring my brain to try and figure what I did to make myself so… hurty. I don't normally push myself very hard during training, and I haven't pulled an all-nighter for about two weeks now, so I couldn't have been up studying my tactical books…

I felt something prod my back, almost like tacks lightly pressing against my skin and staying there. I shifted my back slightly, grumbling in irritation as I did so. In the back of my mind I noticed that whatever had touched me was far above where my back actually was. 'Probably just loopy from whatever happened…' I rationalized. Thankfully, whatever had touched me got the message that I didn't really want to be poked at the moment, and quickly removed itself. The sound of a bird squawking filled my ears, which for some reason sounded almost… more enhanced, like my hearing had become more powerful overnight.

I furrowed my brow slightly, ignoring my throbbing headache for a second. 'A bird? What the…' It seemed like I hadn't seen a bird in forever… where am I?

I decided now was as good a time as any to open my eyes.

I flinched back from the harsh sunlight that suddenly greeted me, blinking as my eyes slowly got used to the light around me. 'Gods, since when has the sun been that _harsh_?'

My confusion only heightened when my vision had gotten used to the brightness. '... What?' I was in total shock as I looked around, taking in my surroundings. Plush, green grass covered the ground beneath me, stretching through what looked like a dense forest. Trees towered over me, their lush leaves waving gently in a nonexistent breeze. A couple wildflowers sprouted here and there, adding a touch of color to the scene, and glancing upwards gave way to an absolutely beautiful sky, fluffy white clouds slowly roaming across the blue expanse. It was, in a word, _incredible. _The colors were more vibrant than I've ever seen them, and the air carried the refreshing scent of… something. I could only describe it as earth, like I had my nose deep in a patch of freshly watered grass. It was strong, yet not to the point of being unenjoyable. 'Woah… what Lucina wouldn't give-'

My breath caught in my throat. _Lucina. _I immediately felt my heart drop when I thought of my sister, memories of what had happened earlier flooding my mind. It was all foggy since I had exerted so much energy and mana, but I distinctly remember accidentally releasing my magic's hold on the portal before Lucina had tried her crazy plan (I was still shocked that actually worked…), And if I didn't have control over the portal when we entered, then… we could be anywhere right now!

I mustered enough strength from the sudden shot of adrenaline my worry gave me to slowly rise to my hands and knees, grunting in discomfort as I did so. I paid no mind to how my voice sounded much different, thinking my throat was dry from lack of use. A feeling of dread started to set in as I glanced around, not noticing a certain blue-haired princess or any of the others. 'No… no, I can't be alone…'

Surely, my sister was nearby, scouting out the area, right?

'I should call her name, that always gets her running…' I thought, feeling grim at the thought of talking for whatever reason.

I smacked my lips for a second, trying to get some moisture in my dry mouth. For some reason, my mouth felt abnormally large, and my teeth seemed much sharper than usual, but I chalked it up to the mana exhaustion I had caused myself.

Once I was satisfied I could talk without setting my throat on fire, I cracked my maw open. I paused right before I spoke, not sure why I was so uneasy, before shaking my head and calling out my sister's name.

"**Lucina?**"

I immediately froze after saying that, my heart dropping to my stomach. That… sounded distinctly like a dragon's growl. A very _terrifying _dragon's growl. That same adrenaline returned to me, though this time it was from fear. I very, _very _slowly turned my head around the area, looking for the source of the growl. If there was one thing I didn't want to do, it was face an actual _dragon _while I was dealing with mana exhaustion. I wouldn't last five seconds!

I glance to my left proved fruitless, and another look to my right yielded no terrifying dragons either. Nothing above me, either.

That's when I felt that something in my body was very _wrong_, almost like it had changed without my knowledge. I noticed a heavy feeling on my back that was different from the usual weight of my coat, and it felt like something long was attached to my body just above my tailbone. Something within me felt very _warm_, and there was another feeling… it was familiar, yet it was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I glanced downwards to try and figure out what was wrong. What greeted me were two large, blue-scaled appendages, each one tipped with deadly looking black claws. At first, I didn't know what exactly I was looking at, my brow furrowing in confusion. 'What the…'

Curiously, I moved my left arm, and to my surprise, the scaled paw on the left mirrored what my actual arm was doing in my mind. I imagined my arm turning itself over, palm facing upwards, and sure enough the draconic paw perfectly reflected what I wanted it to do. My eyes widened when I realized what exactly was going on. 'Are these… my arms?'

It certainly seemed that way… it was almost something that would be out of one of my more outlandish dreams, but it just felt too realistic. I could feel the plush grass beneath me tickling my scales (my _scales_!), the air flowing through the minuscule gaps between them.

I didn't know if it had something to do with how loopy I felt from what had just occurred, or if I was just used to crazy stuff like this happening, but for some reason I was more intrigued than terrified. I knew I should be scared, but _Gods_, if I haven't been through much worse than suddenly being turned into a dragon…

'Then that heaviness on my back… are those…?' I twisted my neck backwards, something that I would never have been able to do as a human, and lo and behold, there was a large pair of bat-like wings placed innocently between my shoulder blades. 'Woah… I wonder how long they are?' Deciding to test that question out, I felt around the muscles on my back, eventually finding a completely new set of muscles where my wings were. I tensed and loosened them for a second, trying to get a feel for how they worked. I watched my wings (_my __**wings!**_) carefully while I flexed the muscles underneath them. It seemed that when I tensed them up, they pressed tighter against my back, but when I loosened them, they unfurled ever so slightly, now lying limp. 'Hm… so maybe if I push…?' No harm in trying, I suppose

One sudden _woosh _of air later, and my wings were completely extended outwards, and I quickly learned that, yes, there may be some harm in trying, because my new muscles were most definitely not used to that sort of quick movement if the sudden stinging pain I felt was any indication. 'Not one of my brightest moments,' I deadpanned, trying to push the pain out of my mind as I once again turned my attention to my wings. One thing is for sure, these babies were _big_. They each were about as long as Cynthia's Pegasus, and they looked much stronger than I initially thought. 'Looks like I'm built for flying… nice!' I inwardly noted, a soft smile finding it's way onto my muzzle. Focus on the muscles once again, I (_slowly _this time…) retracted the large wings so they once again laid comfortably against my back.

"**Alright, so I'm in an unknown time,**" I muttered to myself, noting with surprise that my voicebox has been changed to interpret my words as a string of roars and growls. It was just one surprise after the other with this body. "**My sister is missing, and I've been turned into a dragon…**" I listed off, holding back a grimace as I realized just how bad my situation really was. Any other person would be freaking out, but I learned a long time ago to keep my head and stay positive, since making a big deal out of a bad situation would only make it worse. Mom would always tell me to keep a positive attitude, but not too positive. Then I'd just be naive.

"**Could be worse, I guess.**" I shrugged, feeling my enlarged shoulder blades roll. "**I could be **_**dead,**_" I mused. That was a very real possibility that could have occurred. Laurent and I did extensive research on how magical portals worked, and we learned that even creating one needed massive amounts of magical energy to uphold, and so I trained my mind for years so I would have a magical reserve large enough to withhold the strenuous task of making a portal. One thing that was stressed frequently in these studies were the consequences of entering an unstable portal. Things such as instantaneous death, your physical form evaporating, your body being compressed into nothingness… the list goes on. And even if you survive going through the portal, you could go blind, death, etcetera by the time you get plopped onto the other side, far away from where you were actually trying to go. Of course, being transformed into a dragon was never listed _once _in the side effects…

My first question to myself was… what do I do now? Well, the obvious answer was find Lucina as fast as I could so we could return to what we went through the portal for in the first place, but since I was in an unknown area, using an unfamiliar body _and _dealing with mana exhaustion, I was in no state to begin scouring the world for her. She couldn't have gone far, considering she was holding onto me when we went through.

Maybe she was turned into a dragon as well? I grimaced as I thought of how she would react to that, noting her dracophobia. 'There was a whole slew of things that could go wrong with that… Hopefully she's taking it well.'

After considering all my options, I decided that my best course of action was to do… nothing. Yep, sometimes the best strategy is just sit and wait things out. There was no way I was traveling any sort of distance while I was this tired, so getting a good (or at least _decent_, for once) rest was optimal. 'Besides… I'm suddenly really… tired…'

I didn't even get to finish that thought before I was out cold on the forest floor, my head impacting the grass with a thud.

* * *

~Third Person~

Two hours later

* * *

The human-turned-dragon has slept relatively peacefully after that revelation, his body slowly recovering from the mana exhaustion he inflicted on himself.

While he rested, The scant few clouds that Morgan had seen above him had cleared out, letting all who view the sky take in all of it's glory. Multiple different kinds of dragons swooped by overhead, their wingbeats filling the skies with sounds as they passed. They paid no mind to the forest below, trying to get to the more central part of the island or to another island altogether.

There was one dragon, however, that decided to touch down in the forest. This Ripwing's name was Greenscale, who, true to his name, was a deep verdant green in coloration. Ripwings were a much more reclusive species of dragon, finding more enjoyment in the calm forests they call home than large, bustling nests of dragons. It was part of the reason they were so hard to find, since they really only showed themselves to others of their species or dragons they trust, and since Greenscale's color meant he blended in quite well with the foliage, he was quite adept at hiding from others that he didn't wish to engage, whether it be in conversation or even battle.

… Of course, that's not to say he wasn't _social _with other dragons. He had made plenty of friendships across the archipelago!

Of course, those few that he had were with his own species, but at least he was trying.

Back to the subject at hand, Greenscale let out a sigh of relief when the forests of Langt Borte came into view. They were notorious for being some of the calmest woodlands in the archipelago, since the spikes covering the trees branches made it so any wildlife would think twice before settling down within them, and since most dragons preferred caves instead of trees to form shelter, it was absolutely perfect for a Ripwing that wanted some alone time.

The sharp-winged dragon stuttered in the air for a second before tilting down into a nosedive, the wind rushing past his sleek form as he cut through the air. With one of the largest wingspans of all dragons, Ripwings could hang with the best when it comes to speed in the air. Only a couple species could match an experienced Ripwing in the skies, the most notable being the mysterious Shadowshifter. There was only one left that the dragons knew of, and his heroics had been spread far and wide. He had killed the Queen almost single-handedly, outsped her, bested her in firepower and outsmarted her, all while missing a tailfin!

He had family members who were suffering under her tyrannical rule, so he was truly grateful to the last of the Shadowshifters.

Once Greenscale was within a few meters of the treeline, he quickly tilted back upwards, throwing his large wings outwards to stop his momentum so he could safely enter the forest. Normally, a dragon's wings would be hurt or dislocated from such a sudden stop, but Ripwings had extremely resilient wings, able to use them as shields and tank all sorts of damage, so just a simple stop proved no problem for the large dragon.

Greenscale touched down onto the plush grass of the forest floor, taking a deep breath of the air around him before letting out a sigh of relief as the earthy, oaky smell of the forest filled his nostrils. "**Ah… nothing quite like a nice, quiet forest,**" He said quietly to himself, a smile adorning his muzzle as he glanced around his surroundings, noting he spiky-branched trees and the tall grass waving silently in the breeze. It was very peaceful, perfect for a secluded dragon such as himself.

'Just need to find a nice place to settle down for the night,' Greenscale thought to himself. The place he landed in was good, but he preferred someplace a little cozier, hopefully with trees covering him so he wouldn't be bothered by any other passing dragons. If there was one thing that made him mad, it was someone waking him up in the middle of the night for no reason.

However, just as he was about to roam the forest so he could find an area to call it a night, he stopped, a sensation he hadn't noticed at first making itself prevalent. He noticed a light buzzing in the air, like the particles were energized in an unnatural way. His brow quirked in curiosity as his nostrils flared, remembering almost immediately what this sensation was. "**Somebody was **_**very **_**liberal with their Aür usage… and recently,**" he muttered, his hackles rising slightly.

The Aür is a strange force that not even dragons, the ones who use it, can explain. The closest comparison they had to it was witchcraft, but even then the similarities between the two were scarce. While magic was a broad force that all mages pulled from, Aür was more personal. Each dragon had a different level of Aür, and with differing levels of power. Greenscale, for example, was an adept healer, and while he knew how to use it in combat, he preferred staying away from the action. Nobody knows how dragons came to acquire this power, but some say it was a gift from the Gods, and those who are very in tune with their own Aür can sense when another powerful presence is nearby, or when something has used a very large amount of their own Aür.

Right now, it was the latter, but this Aür felt _extremely _powerful and rich, much more so than any other dragon Greenscale has encountered. That's why he was on edge at the moment. What if whatever had caused such a large outburst of Aür was still in this forest? He suppressed a shiver, not wanting to imagine himself as a mangled corpse anytime soon.

He knew he should've left and found some other distant forest away from Langt Borte, he should've flown far away from whatever presence was here along with him. But whether it was his own tiredness from flying for an extended period of time, his own curiosity, or a mix of the two, he found himself being drawn deeper into the forest so he could find this powerful being. 'I'll just take a quick peek, then leave… so I can satisfy my damned curiosity,' He rationalized to himself, following his sense as used his razor sharp wings to cut his way through the trees towards whatever caused the Aür outburst.

As he trekked through the woods, he could feel the air slowly returning to it's normal state, but he could still feel that same powerful presence getting closer and closer as he walked. In the back of his mind, he could hear his subconscious telling him that this was a bad idea, but he suppressed it, reminding himself that he could easily get away from any dragon in the archipelago (except for the Shadowshifter).

When he felt the presence was but a mere ten feet in front of him, he paused, his nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath. "**Just a quick look…**" he reminded himself. Steeling his nerves, he slowly crept forward towards the bushes that were concealing whatever he was looking for. With one small slice from his left wing, the bush was silently cleaved in two, letting the light filter through the hole he had created.

It took every ounce of willpower to not gasp loudly once his sharp eyes were laid on what was giving off the powerful sense of Aür.

Lying nonchalantly on the grass, snoring away peacefully, was a Shadowshifter. The sun glinted off of their dark scales, and their wings were sprawled out, showcasing their incredible wingspan and powerful looking muscles underneath. 'Is this…?' A quick glance at the Shadowshifter's tail told him that, no, this was not the dragon that killed the Queen, since that Shadowshifter was missing a tailfin. At least, that's what the stories he had heard told him. 'Wait… but I thought that Shadowshifter was the last of his kind! How did this one evade every dragon in the archipelago until now?' It just didn't make sense… He'd never heard of another Shadowshifter from any other dragons, and word gets around quickly here. If the way this dragon sleeps was any indication, then he wasn't exactly the best when it comes to stealth. He'd seen Rockjaws sleep more gracefully, and he wasn't suppressing his powerful aura in any way, shape or form.

He was so wrapped up in trying to figure out how in the world this Shadowshifter even existed, that he didn't notice the dragon start to shift until it was too late. His breath caught in his throat when the Shadowshifter's eyelids slowly slid open, revealing two grey eyes with black pupils that almost sucked in the light around them. They looked upwards, half-mast for just a moment, before he seemingly realized that somebody else was here with him, and those eyes quickly locked with Greenscale's own.

The Ripwing quickly realized that this was an extremely stupid idea on his part.

* * *

~Morgan~

* * *

I wasn't sure if I should be confused or terrified, but right now it was a definite mixture of both.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that the sun had set to the point where it was no longer in my sight, probably down below the tall treeline, but the sky was still a beautiful mixture of oranges and purples, so it wasn't entirely night yet. The second thing I noticed was that while my mana reserves had filled slightly, I was nowhere close to being fully recovered yet. 'At this rate, I'll have to sleep for a whole _week_…' I mused, and while I normally was never one to turn down sleep, I just didn't have that kind of time at the moment. With Lucina our who-knows-where struggling with who-knows-what, I didn't exactly have the freedom of deciding what I wanted to do.

The third thing I noticed was that I wasn't alone anymore in this small clearing I found myself in.

As I was blinking the sleep out of my eyes, letting them adjust to the sunlight, my magic alerted me to the presence of another being within the vicinity. Even though my magical core was very weak at the moment, it still had enough energy to help empower my senses.

I blinked in confusion, wondering what exactly could've found me. 'A person, maybe?'

I glanced to my side, and my eyes widened with fear.

Definitely. _Not. _A person.

A large dragon stared at me with glowing yellow eyes, slit pupils boring into my own. It's muzzle was angled sharply, and large teeth jutted out from it's bottom jaw. It almost looked like it had the beginnings of a beard underneath it's chin, and long horns ran straight behind it.

Yep. I was definitely confusified (or was it terrifused?).

I wanted to scream, I wanted to jump to my feet (paws) and run, but I knew that I didn't have the strength to make it very far, and even if I did, this dragon had the obvious advantage because, you know, it actually knew how to _fly_. Plus, what if he was friendly? It wouldn't be out the question, considering that I'm also a dragon now.

I carefully got to my feet as I reigned in my emotions. 'Keep a positive attitude…' I reminded myself. I noticed the dragon take a step back as I got to my feet, which definitely confused me. Was he _afraid _of me? But I couldn't even hurt a fly in the state I am right now!

… Okay, I might have enough magical energy to pull off a Bolganone, but that's beside the point!

I grunted in discomfort when I was fully standing on all four paws, my joints and muscles still aching. Trying to come off as nonthreatening, I flashed the horned dragon a smile, waving slightly. "**Heh, uh… Hi?**" I greeted, subconsciously folding some muscles back on the top of my head.

The horned dragon blinked, as if surprised. He (I don't know why, it just looked like a he) glanced quickly to the left, before focusing back on me. "_**Hey**_…" He drawled awkwardly, probably not expecting such a chipper greeting from me.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of us. He glanced away from me, probably not knowing what to say. 'Huh. I didn't know socially awakened dragons existed.' I cleared my throat awkwardly. "**Hey, uh… you wouldn't happen to know where I **_**am, **_**would you?**" I asked, hoping to break the ice. I didn't want my first encounter with another dragon to end with an extremely unpleasant goodbye, after all.

That question seemed to make the dragon even _more _confused than he already was, if that were possible. "**You're on Langt Borte… how do you not know? Almost every dragon in the archipelago knows of this isle,**" The green-scaled dragon asked with an undertone of suspicion, taking a step forward into the clearing, which revealed more of his body. His neck was apparently extremely long, and he was using these absolutely _huge _wings to stand and walk.

I raised a claw to answer, then paused. 'That's… a good question. I hadn't even thought about that… what do I even say?' Anything that I just made up was most likely going to be wrong, and the last thing I wanted to do right now was make myself look suspicious in front of a clearly dangerous fire-breathing lizard. As I weighed my options, I couldn't help but think… maybe I should just shoot him straight, and see how it goes. I've got basically nothing to lose at the moment, and who cares if he thinks I'm crazy? I sighed. "**I'm a **_**long **_**ways from home, to say the least.**"

The green dragon shot me a puzzled look before returning to his slightly apprehensive neutral expression. "**O-kay… anyhow, what brings you to this island? I mean, it's been absolutely ages since a Shadowshifter has been to this island,**" He questioned.

"**Well… er, you see…**" I paused, not entirely sure how to word what I was about to say. "**... What would you say if I told you that I wasn't always a dragon?**" I prompted.

The dragon's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but I could see the sudden curiosity in his pupils. "**... I would say you're a couple wingbeats short of a full flight, friend.**"

I grumbled at that comment. "**Alright… fair enough, but how could I prove something like that to you?**"

If he had eyebrows, I'm sure that he would be raising one in skepticism. "**I'm going to assume you're insane, so I'm just going to play along… you could always Sight-Share with me.**" He suggested, sounding slightly sarcastic during the last sentence as he stepped closer into the small clearing. 'Well, at least this conversation is bringing him out of his shell,' I thought to myself.

I tilted my head sideways with curiosity. "**Sight-Share? What's that?**" I asked, genuinely curious. It almost sounded like something similar to telepathy.

He paused abruptly at that, now giving me a very confused look. "**... You're either a very good actor, or you're being serious about not being a dragon…**" He said, his brow furrowed as he stared at me.

"**Well… Sight-Sharing is a sacred ritual between two dragons, where they each look into each other's eyes, the windows of the soul, and they share a memory that they wish to portray to each other. It's impossible to hide anything from either participant during a Sight-Share, which is why I'm asking you to do one with me. So you can prove your… **_**extremely **_**outlandish story.**" The dragon explained, putting emphasis on the word 'extremely'. I nodded slowly in understanding, although on the inside I was just given more questions. 'What? How does that even work? Do dragons have a magical core as well? It would make sense, but… Gaaah, I've been in this world for less than half a _day, _and everything is so _confusing!_'

I was brought of my thoughts when the larger dragon stepped up to me, lowering his neck so we were at eye level. "**Let's get this over with so I can finally sate my curiosity…**" he grumbled, his slit pupils focusing on my own. I was a tad off put by his his glowing yellow eyes. They seemed to bore into my soul, like they were looking for something.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation that I've never felt before, almost like an outside force trying to connect with my magical core. It felt like mana, but it was different enough to the point where I had no idea what it was. It was almost like a raw form of magic.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it before I felt another strange sensation, like my head was dunked into cold water, and my vision suddenly blurred, the dragon fading from view as the colors blended into one another. 'What the…' I tried blinking away whatever was obscuring my eyes, but my eyelids didn't respond. It was like I was frozen.

When my vision cleared, I was somewhere else entirely.

* * *

_I was surrounded by blue._

_A vast ocean spread across the earth below me, and the sky covered the horizon above, white tufts of clouds spread sporadically across the expanse. The cool ocean breeze beat against my scales and lifted my wings as I flew through the air._

_I was still a little disoriented from that strange feeling, but I instantly realized that I was not in control of my body. I was a viewer. Is this what Greenscale had been talking about when he said sharing memories?_

… _Greenscale? Where did that come from? He hasn't told me his name yet, right? Do dragons even have names?_

_But… that felt _right_, for whatever reason, and it seemed fitting, considering his coloring. Perhaps this Sight-Sharing gives you more information about the dragon/person as well?_

_All in due time, I guess. I turned my attention back to the memory, hoping that watching further would bring some more answers to the hundreds of questions I had._

_I silently watched as the blue waters sped beneath me (Him? Us? Ugh, this was so confusing…), a feeling making itself prevalent as _we _continued forward. I felt content. It felt good to have our wings spread like this, the wind blowing harmlessly underneath the tough scales. It was freeing._

_I saw an unfamiliar landmass appear in the distance, looking small for now, but as we got closer it proved to be one large island connected to a chain of smaller islands beyond our view, with a large mountain standing in the center. I didn't know how I knew that there were smaller islands beyond this one, but I suppose that it had something to do with the Sight-Share._

_A feeling of relief washed over me when the island came into view, and the name 'Langt Borte' popped into my mind for whatever reason. I remember Greenscale saying that the island we were on was Langt Borte, so I think it's safe to assume that the island in this memory is the island I was currently on. It was much bigger than I expected…_

_We stuttered midair when we were over the forest, then we suddenly dove head-first towards the treeline, the green leaves rapidly getting closer and closer to our muzzle. 'Woah, woah, WOAH, SLOW DOWN A SECOND!' I yelled out in my mind in panic, not expecting such a drastic change in speed out of nowhere. _

_Then, with one swift motion, we tried our body upwards and thrust our wings open, catching the air underneath and bringing ourselves to a sudden stop so we could land safely on the padded forest floor._

_If I could, I was sure that I would be breathing heavily from the exhilaration of that little stunt we just pulled. 'Good Naga… that was terrifying and _awesome _at the same time,' I thought to myself. As I tried to calm myself down, I couldn't help but wonder to myself… if that was just a memory, then what would actual flying be like?_

_I was brought out of my ramblings to myself when I felt a peculiar sensation in the air around us. It almost felt like the wind itself was vibrating with power, as if a massive explosion had gone off recently, or…_

_A mana outburst! That's what this felt like!_

_When a powerful mage uses a lot of mana in one centralized place, the excess energy is absorbed back into the earth around it, thus producing the effect we were feeling right now._

_Greenscale didn't seem to know that, however, judging from the confusion he felt in this memory._

_I watched as he stared at the trees in front of him, internally debating whether or not he should investigate the source of this energy, then finally deciding to give into his curiosity, as he started to trudge through the forest, taking a swipe at a bush obscuring his path and cleaving it clean in two._

'_Geez… I had no idea those wings were weapons, too. They almost look as sharp as Falchion,' I noted, trying to get a better look at the appendages. After watching him cut through the foliage with little to no effort, I noticed that the scales on the wings seemed especially tough, and could possibly be able to take all sorts of damage before being badly hurt. 'Who needs weapons or armor when you've got wings like these? Seriously, it looks like a Wyrmslayer, or even _Falchion _would have a tough time cutting through those scales.'_

_The powerful feeling we were currently following was getting closer and closer now, until he stopped right in front of a bush, the presence we felt now only ten feet in front of us. I internally grumbled. 'C'mon, you slowpoke, I want to see what you saw!'_

_I'd like to believe he heard that comment, because in one quick moment he sliced the bush in two, letting light filter through the new hole he created. Once our sharp eyes adjusted, I was greeted with… a black dragon?_

_As it turns out, that powerful presence we sensed turned out to be… was that me? I looked over to the front paws, since that's what I had first seen when I woke up, and they were the same claws I had seen when I looked down earlier. 'So this is my new draconic form?'_

_As I took it in, I couldn't help but notice how… _cool _I looked. A flat, sleek muzzle for aerodynamics, long, powerful-looking wings that were obviously built for speed and endurance, deadly sharp claws, strong-looking legs and a long tail with two find at the end, all covered with black (or possibly dark blue) scales._

_All in all?_

_I could definitely get used to having a body like _that.

_As I was admiring my new form, I felt a small tugging sensation in the very back of my mind, like I was being-_

* * *

'Pulled back to my senses!'

I took in a huge gulp of air as my vision was very suddenly replaced with the just-as-surprised eyes of Greenscale, who also seemed extremely disoriented. My chest burned as I breathed heavily, but I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment. I needed to calm myself after that experience.

I slowly but surely evened my breathing out until I was just lightly panting, the experience me and Greenscale just shared still fresh on my mind. Speaking of, he seemed even more frazzled than I did. He was staring at me, his eyes wide with pure shock and what almost looked like a hint of fear. His breathing was uneven as well, like he had just woken from a nightmare in the middle of the night. "**You weren't… y-you actually used to be **_**human?!**_" He suddenly exclaimed, making me flinch back from his outburst.

I nodded quietly in response, not really trusting my own voice right now. Knowing me, I'd probably say something stupid and make him even more unhinged than he already was.

He must've noticed me flinch, however, because he grimaced, eyes softening somewhat. "**Er, sorry, but… this just isn't something that happens everyday,**" He said, looking sheepish.

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "**Tell me about it. I'm the one who got **_**turned **_**into a **_**dragon**_**, remember?**"

"**R-Right…**" he responded, glancing away in embarrassment.

There was a bout of silence between the two of us.

"**... What did you see?**" I asked after a moment, curious as to what memory I showed him. There was that flash of fear I saw in his eyes that really sparked my curiosity.

Greenscale didn't respond at first, but then he turned to me with what looked like pity in his eyes. "**I saw you, using your Aür to hold open this **_**thing**_**, I think you called it a portal.**" He began, and immediately I knew what memory he saw. 'He's talking about what happened before I was transported here…' I wanted know what Aür was, but stopped myself, figuring I could ask after he's done explaining.

"**This human girl, Lucina, was there, she was your sister. She seemed… thoroughly worried about you, to say the least.**" I smiled ever so slightly at the mention of my sister. Always the overprotective one… "**I saw all of these humans show up, one by one, and they talked for a moment before they all went through the portal you had created. Then… I heard this roar from a dragon I've never heard of before… you called it… 'Grima'.**" He said the last part barely above the volume of a whisper, looking terrified out of his mind.

A shiver went down my spine when he said the name of that… monstrosity. I nodded grimly, trying to hold back a scowl forming on my muzzle. "**Grima… is a huge dragon with godlike powers that wishes nothing more than death on all of humanity. In my time… he's a constant threat on the horizon, always sending Risen and black magic our way.**" I explained, trying to keep it concise. Although that's asking a lot, considering the subject. I could go on and on about my findings during my research on the Fell Dragon, about how he was created by a man named Forneus, and how he's actually a false god, but I stopped myself. No need to start one of my famous rambling sessions right now.

He nodded shakily. "**I don't know what Risen are, but it sounds… terrifying, to say the least. How do you have such a positive attitude after something like… that?**" He asked, sounding genuinely curious.

That was a question that I've had asked to me countless times before by strangers, friends, family, you name it. It's always the same answer. "**My mom once told me to keep a positive attitude, but not too positive cause then I'd just be naive, so I just follow what she said!**" I answered, a ghost of a smile worming it's way onto my face. Talking about my parents was always bittersweet, but every time I got down on myself, I just told myself to put it all in the past and focus on the future.

Greenscale's expression softened somewhat at my words, smiling ever so slightly. "**Heh… amazing, what a mother's words can accomplish,**" He said. I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"**So… what are you going to do now, Morgan?**" Greenscale asked. I was a tad surprised when he said my name, but I remember that I got his name from the Sight-Share, so it wasn't too outlandish to say he got mine.

I put a claw to my chin in thought. "**Well, I want to find my sister, but I can't really do much, since I exhausted myself from using so much mana…**" I muttered. That was a good question. What _was _I going to do? Refilling my mana reserves fully could take a couple days at least, and I didn't have that kind of time right now.

Greenscale blinked. "**Aür exhaustion? I can help with that,**" he said, plodding up to me as he talked.

I turned to him in surprise. "**...You can? How?**" I asked, doubt evident in my tone. Healing mana exhaustion was impossible without a high-level staff like Mend or Recover, and even then it took more than one healer to do so depending on the target's mana levels.

I should know. I've exhausted my mana reserves more than once before, and it took Brady, Laurent _and _two other healer's help to refill them.

Greenscale, however, shrugged off the question like what he was about to do was the easiest thing in the world. "**Simple. I'm quite proficient when it comes to healing, and I've done this a few times before, so it should be no problem,**" He said confidently.

I didn't quite believe him, but I relented, figuring that there was no harm in letting him try. Who knows, maybe magic works differently here than back home? I've already noticed that my own magical core felt different than normal, so it wasn't too outlandish to think that he would be able to help with my exhaustion. "**Then by all means, be my guest,**" I said before letting my body fall heavily to the forest floor with a loud _THUD_, internally cringing as my chest started to ache from that simple collision.

I heard a huff, almost like a sigh from Greenscale. "**Alright, just stay still. This shouldn't take too long…**" He instructed. I half-nodded in response, subtly nestling into the grass so I could get comfortable.

At first I didn't feel anything save for the light breeze carrying the scent of the ocean, but then a sudden wave of soothing energy washed over me like a warm bath, and I resisted the urge to sigh out in relief as my aching muscles relaxed and my breathing evened out to normal. 'Woah… I don't know what he's doing, but it's _definitely_ working…' I thought. Healing staffs definitely didn't feel this relaxing, that's for sure. Maybe this is what one of those saunas that Inigo loves so much felt like? I'd need to visit one ASAP, if that was the case. As Greenscale worked whatever magic he was using, I couldn't help but let my mind wander a little. I tried imagining myself back home enjoying a good tactics book, but all I got was an image of myself as a dragon soaring high across the sky, the wind underneath my wings and the islands mere specks as I flew through the air with ease.

For some reason, I felt a strong need to make that image a reality.

Said image ended far too soon for my liking, however, as the calming sensation was abruptly removed from my scales. I blinked in confusion, wondering why whatever Greenscale had been doing was cut off. "**Hey, Greenscale, what happened-**" I began as I stepped up to stand on my paws, but stopped when I realized something. 'My reserves… they're refilled?'

Greenscale's heavy breathing interrupted my sudden realization. "**Gods… how do you… have so much Aür…?**" He asked with incredulity between deep breaths of air.

I turned to him, subconsciously tilting my head in confusion. "**What do you mean?**"

He let his breathing steady itself before he continued, though the exertion was still very evident by his tired eyes. "**You have an… absolutely **_**astounding **_**level of Aür, larger than any other dragon I've ever met. How is that even possible for somebody that used to be human?** **It just… doesn't make sense!**" He rambled, though as he went on it sounded more like he was talking to himself than me.

I sent him a deadpan look. "**Nothing about this situation makes sense. I think it's better to just roll with the punches as they come at this point.**"

He snorted. "**You can say **_**that **_**again…**"

I inwardly smiled at his reply. 'Alright! Friendly banter! That's a step up!' I thought, glad he was beginning to break out of his shell towards me.

"**Anyway, enough about how crazy this whole scenario is, how do you feel now? I tried my best, but I've never had to do this with such a huge amount of Aür,**" He asked, his scrutinizing gaze reminding me of Aunt Lissa's when she would do checkups on me.

'Hm… well, my mana reserves are near full, my muscles don't ache at all anymore, and I'm no longer dead tired…' I mentally checked off, before shooting the worried dragon an energetic smile. "**I feel **_**great**_**, actually! Thanks a ton, Green,**" I thanked, extremely grateful for his masterful healing. Seriously, his work could put anyone back home to shame (sorry, Aunt Lissa!).

He glanced away from me, grinning sheepishly. "**Heh, it was no problem, really,**" He assured.

I shook my head. "**No, seriously, thank you! If you hadn't found me here, I'd probably be stuck in this forest waiting for my reserves to refill, and who knows how long that could've taken,**" I said.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think the green dragon was blushing from the praise.

"**Now I need to figure out how to get off this island…**" I muttered to myself, looking to the sky. I felt my new wings twitch ever so slightly in anticipation, and again, I felt this yearning to be in the sky.

"**Can't you just fly-**" I heard Greenscale begin talking, then suddenly pause when he said fly. "**Oh… you don't know how to fly,**" he realized.

"**Yep, unfortunately…**" I said while nodding sadly. Not knowing how to fly certainly put a damper on my plans, because if I was surrounding by water as far as the eye could see, then I was trapped until I got airborne.

"**I could teach you, you know,**" Greenscale offered after a pause of silence. I looked over to him in surprise, not expecting him to say such a thing. "**You won't find a better teacher out there than a Ripwing, trust me.**" He said.

He would… teach me how to fly? "**But… why? I haven't done anything but force you to heal me,**" I pointed out, not wanting to be anymore of a burden than I already was to him. If there was one thing I hated, it was having people do stuff for me and not being able to pay them back.

Greenscale, however, simply waved me off. "**You didn't force me to do anything, I helped you because I wanted to. Now, I **_**want **_**to help you learn how to fly! Besides, what are friends for?**" He punctuated the last part by giving me a solid knock in the side with the blunt part of his wing, causing me to flinch back a little since I wasn't expecting the contact.

I was a little taken aback by his kindness. "**Wow, uh, thanks! I'm glad I was found by you and not some jerk,**" I said.

Greenscale laughed. "**It's no problem, really. I think I know a place where we can get started, if you want to go now,**" He said, gesturing with his right wing to some place off in the distance I couldn't see.

I eagerly nodded. Learn how to actually _fly_? Sign me up! "**Yes, please!**"

Greenscale smiled at my enthusiasm. "**Follow me, then, and we'll be there in no time at all,**" he instructed, before suddenly turning and slicing cleanly through a bush behind him, the small piece of foliage landing softly on the ground with a dull thud. The tactician in me wanted to know just how sharp those wings of his were, because even Falchion would have trouble cutting through a bush like that, and he did it seemingly with ease.

But, I suppose if I stuck close to Greenscale I'll have my questions answered in time.

Oh! That reminds me… "**Hey, Green, I've been meaning to ask you, what's Aür?**"

Huh. I wonder why his eye twitched just now?

* * *

**Langt Borte - Far Away**

**Chapter 4 is now complete. I was a tad worried I wouldn't get it out in time, but thankfully time was on my side with this one. Again, thank you to all my readers who have stuck with me throughout the story. I might take a brief hiatus to focus on school, so please don't freak out if I don't update over the next couple weeks. After I get everything figured out or when I have the time, updates will resume as normal, so please bear with me. As always, reviews are much appreciated and are encouraged, and thanks again for reading!**

**I'll see you lovelies in the next chapter!**


	6. 5: Scream

**Woah, it's been a hot minute since I've posted on this story, huh? Sorry about the brief delay, school and work got the best of me for these past couple weeks. I'm happy to say that, while they will be more sporadic and slow going than I initially planned, updates will continue. I want to thank my readers for sticking with me during this short wait, and thank you guys for ten followers on this story! Means a lot that people actually want to read this. Got another Morgan chapter coming at ya', but after this big boy we're heading back to Berk for more of Lucinda's arc! Getting some action in this one, say buckle your seatbelts!**

**A Future Past, a New Fate**

**Chapter 5: Scream**

* * *

~Morgan~

* * *

"**So… Aür is like a dragon's own personal branch of magic?**"

Greenscale sighed, then nodded. "**Yes… are you starting to get it now?**" He asked, almost pleading with me as he threw an exasperated glance in my direction.

I nodded slowly, reluctant with my answer. "**Sort of… it seems similar to mana, but **_**Gods**_**, there's a lot of differences between them.**"

"**I get that, but does that really warrant me explaining the basics of Aür over and over again?**" Greenscale replied, sounding mentally exhausted from the healing he had performed just twenty minutes ago and explaining to me what Aür was four times over.

I chuckled, grinning sheepishly. "**Yeah, sorry about that… trying to get a good grasp on something this huge is harder than it sounds,**" I apologized.

My newest companion simply smirked. "**That's exactly how I feel right now. If someone told me I would be teaching a human-turned-dragon how to fly just a couple hours ago, I would've laughed in their face and examined their head,**" Greenscale joked, laughing silently to himself.

I laughed alongside him. "**I can imagine.**"

For the past half-hour or so, Greenscale took the time to try and explain to me what exactly Aür was. He was a little surprised at first to hear that I had no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned Aür, but chalked it up to inexperience, since I had only been a dragon for a few hours at most.

Aür was essentially a much a more personal version of magic. Where mana was drawn from the earth itself, Aür was pulled from the user's own personal pool of it. Every dragon's Aür was very slightly different from one another, unlike mana which was the same energy that every mags pulled from. It was very comparable to the soul, but that's just what made it so confusing to me! How were dragons able to contain and use a magical energy source like Aür? I've read about several mages trying and failing spectacularly to fuse mana into their body, so it was written off as impossible! Maybe it has to do something with the way mana responds to a dragon?

I fought off the growing headache I was beginning to get. It'll all be answered in due time, I suppose…

"**Ah, here we go. This should be perfect,**" I heard Greenscale say approvingly, snapping me out of my internal rambling. I glanced over to the area he had chosen for my flight lessons, my sharper eyes taking in every detail. The smell of the ocean was much stronger now, probably because we were right next to a cliff that dropped off into the literal ocean. My jaw opened slightly as I stared over the cliff, in awe of the beautiful sight before me. The sun was just starting to dip below the sea, filling the skies with a mixture of reds, oranges and purples. The sea was calm, the deep blue waters lapping against the rocks below, spraying the salty water a couple feet upwards. Fluffy clouds floated aimlessly in the sky, the sun's rays painting them with a soft yellow.

"**Woah…**" I whispered, not wanting to take my eyes away from the view. It was probably the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen, bar none.

Greenscale must have noticed my amazed expression, because he chuckled before smirking. "**Yes, it's quite the view, but you can enjoy it later in a **_**much **_**better spot.**" He said, nudging me slightly with his wing.

I glanced over to him. "**What spot would be better than this one?**" I asked him, not entirely sure what he could possible be talking about.

He smirked. "**How about… the sky?**"

My wings instinctively twitched, and I perked up immediately. "**...I like the sound of that,**" I agreed, trying to ignore the tingly feeling I was getting in my two new appendages.

His smirk grew slightly wider, showing off his sharp teeth within. "**Then let's get started.**" He turned, gesturing with his wing over to a slightly elevation in the cliffline, almost like a ramp, which led to another higher elevation about thirty yards over, like a plateau. "**I'll say you're proficient enough when you can get from this spot,**" he pointed at the ramp-like elevation. "**To that spot,**" he moved his wing to the higher plateau area. "**With relative ease.**"

I shrugged, smiling to myself. "**Alright, sounds good to me!**" I affirmed, quickly bounding over to the spot he had pointed to first. I was really excited to try and actually fly, and besides, how hard could it be? Greenscale made it look relatively easy, and I've seen how Pegasus's fly before, so this should be a snap!

"**Spread your wings out!**" I heard Greenscale order. I nodded firmly in reply, holding my head high as I felt the leathery texture of my wings unfurl to their full length. I immediately felt the wind brush the underside of them, filling me with a sense of anticipation. I was about to _fly_. Actually _fly!_

Greenscale grunted, though if it was in approval or something else I couldn't tell. "**Crouch down, and use your hind legs to push off!**" He instructed. I couldn't help but grin to myself as I lowered my body to the ground, the powerful muscles in my hind legs tensing up. I counted down in my mind; 'Three… two… one…!'

'GO!' I _pushed_ with my hind legs, angling my body upwards so I could get a good amount of height. I felt my body leave the ground, the wind catching under my wings, and for a moment I was _flying_.

… Then I came crashing headfirst into the earth.

"**No, no, no, NO, AUGH!**" I yelled out in pain when my head impacted the rocky ground, the headache I was feeling from before now back with a vengeance. I groaned softly to myself as I rolled onto my back, my wings folding underneath the weight of my form. 'Owwwww… that hurt more than it should've…' I sulked, rubbing the top of my head with my right paw.

It was when Greenscale's heavy laughter reached my ears that I realized that this was going to be a lot harder than I initially thought.

* * *

I groaned in pain and frustration, although more of the latter as I picked myself up from the ground after my latest crash landing. That's not to say my body didn't _hurt_, however. Oh no, it was quite the opposite. My wings were aching from the constant flapping and crashing, my chest hurt from landing heavily on the rocks, and my head especially was pounding from the many, _many _collisions I've had up to this point. I would probably put the amount of times I've crash-landed at around twenty. I was beginning to grow tired of the monotony of flying in the air for a few seconds, flapping once, then veering towards the ground or off in some random direction. That one crash I had into the ocean was definitely the least pleasant crash I've experienced.

"**You're making progress! That time you had about a second more of airtime,**" Greenscale praised, though I could tell there was a joking undertone to it.

I snarled angrily at him, the last few attempts of pain and failure starting to affect my normally upbeat mood. "**I'm really beginning to doubt you as a teacher,**" I said, my eyes narrowed in frustration.

My anger didn't affect him whatsoever, as he simply smiled cheekily. "**My philosophy is that failure is the best teacher.**"

I froze, my eyes softening ever so slightly. 'Failure is the best teacher.'

I would remember those words for all my life.

* * *

_I stared with hardened eyes at my foe, a menacing figure that had caused much trouble for me in the past weeks. He had proven formidable in our past encounters, able to take my magic attacks with ease, but this time I was stronger. I was ready._

_The soft glow of my Arcthunder tome illuminated my face, and I felt the spell's familiar pull on my mana reserves as I drew the necessary power to perform the adept-level spell._

_I shot out my right arm, the magical energy transmuting itself into electricity, the bolts jumping over my charmed sleeve. Such usage of an Arc-level spell required some sort of protection, and thankfully mom put some protective magic over my robe to protect myself from some magic damage._

"_Arcthunder!" I shouted when the energy reached a peak in my hand, releasing the powerful magic by thrusting my arm forward. Powerful bolts of lightning shot from every direction around my target, closing in on my adversary. I smirked. Victory was all but assured for me!_

_The electricity collided with the area, covering my target with a flash of light. I squinted, still not entirely used to the explosion of light Arcthunder caused on a successful cast._

_When the light cleared, I glanced over to where I was aiming, eager to see what had become of my foe._

_Only to find that every bolt had missed it's mark, leaving an unscathed training dummy surrounded by charred earth. My jaw dropped in shock. "Wha- but, but how?!" I exclaimed in exasperation, not exactly sure how I missed _every single shot _on a stationary target._

_Raucous laughter filled my ears, and I sighed in indignation. "Mom, cut it out! I'm trying my best, you know," I said angrily, though I was more mad with my spectacular failure than with my mother._

_She raised her hands in front of her, looking slightly apologetic, though she was still smiling widely. "Sorry, Morgan, but your reaction was absolutely priceless!" She tittered, walking up to me and ruffling my hair._

_I tried to keep the furious look on my face, but my mother's smile was too much for me, and I broke down laughing with her. "Haha… yeah, I must've looked like Uncle Gaius when you told him to take a break from sweets."_

_She nodded in agreement. "Oh, definitely. But don't get discouraged by not hitting the dummy, that was probably the best Arcthunder I've seen out of you yet," My mom praised, putting a hand on my shoulder as she did so._

_I sent her a curious look. "Really? But… I missed every shot! The last few times I at least hit one," I pointed out, gesturing to the untouched dummy. My mother simply smiled, putting a hand to her chin as she nodded slightly. "While that may be true, those last few ones had about the same power as one of your Elthunders, which is why you were able to control the raw power of a much more volatile Arc spell. That cast you just did," she gestured towards the destroyed earth. "_That _was a true Arcthunder. You're getting there, you just need some more practice," She praised, lightly patting me on the shoulder. I bristled when I noticed she scuffed my shoulder, and I quickly brushed it to smooth out the wrinkles._

_I huffed, not really believing her words. "But I've been practicing for, like, a _month _now, and I've made barely any progress!" I argued back, throwing my arms up in frustration and crossing them over my chest. I was just so fed up with all the failed casts. Who knew that transitioning from El level spells to Arc level spells could be so difficult? When I had moved from the basic Fire, Thunder and Wind spells to the El versions it wasn't nearly as hard as this!_

_My mother's smile never wavered, her eyes shining with laughter. "Take this from somebody with experience… failure is the best teacher out there. Better than me, your father… better than anything out there," she told me, grabbing both of my shoulders and turning me to face her. I looked into her silver eyes, the orbs reflecting so much care and love. "Trust me when I say that failure is not something to be afraid of. You take those failures and piece them together into something great. Why do you think I have so many history books?" She asked rhetorically, ruffling my hair as she broke her contact with me._

_I simply stared, taking in the information she had presented to me. "Huh… I never thought of it like that," I admitted, putting a hand on the back of my neck as I thought._

_The Grandmaster of Ylisse grinned wide as I said that. "Of course not, that's why you haven't been making as much progress as you've wanted. Sometimes you've got to think about things…" She punctuated her statement by pulling out her own Arcthunder tome and riffling through it, a soft yellow glow illuminating her gloves hands. With one swift motion, powerful electricity suddenly shot towards the dummy, obliterating the wooden target with a mere wave of the hand. "... From a different perspective."_

_I stared in awe at the destroyed target, subconsciously glancing down at my own Arcthunder. 'Outside the box…'_

* * *

"**Hey, Morgan? Morgan!**"

I blinked in surprise at Greenscale's voice, abruptly snapping me out of my reminiscing. I looked over to the Ripwing, who was staring at with a confused expression. "**Are you alright? You spaced out for a second there,**" He asked, a worried undertone evident in his voice.

I blanked on what he was talking about for a moment, then abruptly nodded, realizing that I had been thinking about that one memory for a bit longer than I probably should've. "**O-oh, Y-yeah, sorry, just thinking. That 'philosophy' of yours reminded of something, that's all,**" I answered after a beat of silence, trying to assure him nothing was the matter.

I could tell that Greenscale wasn't entirely convinced by my words, judging from his furrowed brow and skeptical look, but he ultimately sighed in defeat, glancing towards the ground for a second. "**Alright… let's continue with the lesson, then. What do you think is going wrong with your flights so far?**" He prompted, trying to figure out what I was doing incorrectly.

I put a claw to my chin, sitting on my haunches as I began to think. What _was _I doing wrong? "**Well… It feels like I've got the wings and flapping part right, but I just feel like I'm **_**missing **_**something…**" I admitted. I could feel that something deep in the recesses of my mind was telling me that there was something I wasn't doing. Something wasn't clicking.

Greenscale seemed deep in thought. "**Hmm… that is curious… I haven't seen a Shadowshifter fly before, so perhaps there is something that Shadowshifters have that Ripwings don't? It's entirely possible,**" My teacher rationalized, pacing back and forth as he rambled.

I nodded subconsciously, my stare set on someplace far away as I thought long and hard about what I wasn't doing right. 'Shadowshifters fly differently, huh? What about them is different…?' Judging by how my body felt right when I flapped but still veered far off course mere seconds into the flight, it must have something to do with the stabilization of my body. Maybe I had a second set of wings I didn't know about?

Deciding to test my theory out, I tried to feel around my new muscular structure to see if there were an groups of muscles that felt similar to the set of wings attached to my back. I felt my wings twitch slightly, and the muscles attached to my back tended in response. 'Right, there those are, and…'

That's strange… something twitched way farther below my back.

Blinking in surprise and confusion, I glanced backwards to where I felt the twitch originate from, and my eyes widened upon the realization of just what I was moving.

Two fin-like protrusions sat innocently at the end of my tail, fanning in and out as I slowly moved my newly discovered muscles.

'What the… how long have those been there?' I thought, staring at my two newly discovered appendages. They felt exactly like the wings on my back, just… smaller.

"**Hey, Green,**" I called, catching the Ripwing's attention. "**Maybe it has something to do with these?**" I said, swinging my tail in front of me, showing off the little tail-wings I had just discovered, unfurling them in and out to punctuate my find.

Greenscale's eyes went wide for a split second, before narrowing slightly as he moved closer to me, his eyes staring intently at my tail as he inspected it. "**Hmm… It certainly does look like these tailfins control your stability in the air. I've heard that some other dragons have a pair of tailfins, maybe that's what you're doing wrong. Up to this point, I've been teaching you like a Ripwing, and, as you can see,**" He picked his tail straight upward behind him, wriggling it slightly. "**I don't even have tailfins. So, during this next attempt, try incorporating your tailfins, see what happens.**" He instructed, letting his tail fall back onto the earthy ground with a small thud.

I nodded in affirmation, agreeing completely with his observation. "**Can't hurt to try, can it?**" I asked rhetorically, slowly walking over to the rock I've been jumping off of for the past hour, trying to ignore my throbbing muscles and joints as I did so. 'Actually, scratch that. It definitely _can _and _will_ hurt to try.'

I carefully set my feet in the usual starting position I had used for the past twenty attempts, the stone beginning to wear since my claws keep scraping on it from my numerous liftoffs. I closed my eyes, letting air filter through my tired lungs as I calmed my breathing, forgetting about the previous failures, about the bruises littered over my body. The only thing that existed right now were me, my wings and the sky. My wings slowly unfurled themselves from my back, letting the wind catch underneath the sensitive scales. I felt my… tailfins, I think Greenscale called them, flatten themselves instinctively, and for the first time since my very first attempt, I felt confident in my abilities. I usually wasn't one to doubt myself, but throw so many failures at a person and anybody will begin to doubt themselves.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, then with practiced grace that someone acquires from failing at least twenty different times, I launched myself into the air, using my hind legs to once again push of the rock. I felt the gravel roll under my large hind paws as they quickly left solid ground, the air beating against my face as I spread my wings wide. Around this time on the previous attempts, I would futilely flap my wings a couple times before pitifully crashing headfirst into the unforgiving earth. I knew, however, as I adjusted my tailfins to be parallel with the ground, this time would be different. With the grace of a Pegasus, I shifted my shoulder blades as I rose higher in the air from my first couple of wingbeats, a grin worming it's way onto my face as I quickly realized that I was _flying_. I was actually _flying!_

The spot that I had been aiming for was getting closer and closer now, and I flapped my wings a couple times to gain some more height, angling my tailfins downwards as I did so. I sliced through the air like a knife, my aches and pains from my previous attempts all but forgotten. The feeling of flying was indescribable, the wind beating against my face filling me with adrenaline and the air filling my wings made me feel like I could do anything and go anywhere.

In a way, I could.

Before I knew it, I was touching down on the ledge that Greenscale had pointed out, using my hind legs to land first before falling forward onto my front paws. My breathing was heavy, not from tiredness, however, but from just how exciting flying was. I couldn't help but grin wide, laughing boisterously to myself. I whooped, standing on my hind legs and pumping a paw into the air, before falling straight onto my back, laughing the whole way. "**That was… so **_**cool!**_" I exclaimed happily, righting myself back onto my paws, almost bouncing with giddiness.

I saw Greenscale fly up to the ledge I was on, his eyes twinkling with pride and happiness, before landing next to me, a large smile mirroring mine on his muzzle. "**Morgan, that was great! You're a natural at flying! A little practice, and you'll be unbeatable in the air, I'm sure,**" He praised, looking very proud of either himself for teaching me, or me for doing well. Probably a bit of both.

I chuckled sheepishly. "**Aw, thanks, Green. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help!**" I said gratefully, bowing my head slightly after saying the last part.

Greenscale responded with a slight grin, his teeth glinting in the setting sunlight. "**Don't thank me just yet. I said you would be proficient when you could make it from that rock to here with relative ease, correct?**" He pointed out, gesturing over to my makeshift launching pad and the area we were currently standing on.

I blinked in confusion, wondering what he meant. "**Er… yeah, what of it?**" I asked, a small feeling of dread laced in my voice.

"**I don't think one victory after around fifty failures if proficient. When you can do ten of those runs you just did in a row, then we can stop,**" He explained, a cheeky smirk growing on his face the entire time he talked.

My eyes went wide, and I stared at him with disbelief. "**Are you joking?**" I pleaded, hoping to whatever Gods were present in this time that he was just pulling my leg.

The look he sent me told me everything I needed to know.

I sighed in annoyance, grumbling to myself as I jumped off of the higher ground back to the cliffside. "**Godsdamnit, you've got to be **_**kidding **_**me…**"

* * *

What followed was the most painful experience since Lucina's last "Hour of Hell", as the rest of us so affectionately dubbed it.

Turns out, just because I knew what I had to do, doesn't mean I was good at it. I wasn't exactly the most graceful person in the world. Compared to Lucina, actually, I was downright _clumsy_. Knowing her, if she was turned into a dragon as well, she would have a much easier time getting down the balance and technical stuff.

Me, however? It took me _three hours_ just to get ten runs in a row. Sometimes I would fail on the first run, no big deal, but a couple times I was so close to completing it, on the eighth or ninth run through, but I always fell short. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for me, I managed to complete ten successful short flights. I was dead-tired as I sloppily touched down onto the ledge, collapsing onto the floor as soon as I could and panting heavily from the exertion of flying so damn much. Normally, I would be laughing and yelling about such a hard-fought victory, but I was so exhausted that I didn't even have the energy to muster any sort of triumphant shout.

Greenscale, who had been watching me the entire time, landed next to my limp form, looking down at me with worried eyes. "**Are you alright there, Morgan? You look half-dead right now…**" He said.

I wanted to yell at him for even thinking that I was on the 'alright' side of the hurting spectrum, but I settled for a indignant grumble, very slowly getting to my feet so I don't agitate my burning leg muscles. My wings felt like they were about to fall off from how much I used them in the past few hours, and my entire body had bruises and little scrapes littered across it from the many, _many _collisions I was forced to endure. I sent my teacher a glare. "**What… do you… think…?**" I shot back at him in between deep gulps of air, trying desperately to refill my tired lungs.

Greenscale grimaced before chuckling sheepishly, a guilty look plastered on his muzzle. "**Yeah, we might've overdone it…**" He muttered, glancing away from me with a mixture of guilt and embarrassment, probably for not letting me stop sooner.

I mustered to sputter in disbelief, my glare intensifying ever so slightly. "**Gee… ya think?**" I asked rhetorically. 'Might've overdone it' was the understatement of the Godsdamned millennium. Overdoing it meant you felt like you were just a little more tired than you normally felt after a particularly hard training session or battle. What I felt right now was akin to feeling like you were about to die or collapse from sheer exhaustion, whatever came first.

'At least I feel a lot more confident about my flying skills,' I conceded to myself, noting that the hell I had just been put through did have some benefits.

Greenscale looked me over for a second, before sighing. "**You should probably get some sleep before you go looking for your sister, it would do you no good to fall into the ocean because you were tired… what do you say?**" He questioned.

I responded by simply collapsing onto the ground, my eyelids already slammed shut. "**Yup… sounds good to me…**" I sighed, the feeling of beautiful, blissful sleep already beginning to envelop my senses.

I heard Greenscale chuckle quietly. "**Lazy Shadowshifter…**" He muttered, before my brain decided to call it quits for the day, my body finally getting a well-deserved rest.

* * *

I was awakened from my (thankfully) dreamless sleep by a loud roar in the distance, followed by violent tremors shaking the very earth me and Greenscale were currently resting on.

I let out a yell of shock, not expecting to be awakened so abruptly, my eyes snapping open in reflex. I quickly got to my feet, noting that my body, while still sore, was nowhere near the condition it was yesterday. My eyes frantically glanced around my surroundings, noting that nothing significant had changed, save for the tremors now ravaging the surrounding flora and fauna. Greenscale was awake as well, looking just as confused and frightened as I was. "**What's going on!?**" I yelled over the loud noises.

My companion seemed surprised to see I was awake. "**I-I don't know! Langt Borte isn't known to have earthquakes!**" He answered truthfully, his eyes wide with fear.

I grimaced, my ears instinctively folding against the back of my head as another roar sounded out in the distance, it's piercing volume causing my ears to ring. "**What in the world was that?!**" I wondered aloud, turning my head to where I heard the massive roar coming from. If there was one thing I knew about roars like that, it was that it usually meant people were in trouble, and I hated standing by when people are in trouble and I can do something about it. Before, I knew it, my wings were slowly unfurling themselves from my back. Lucina always said I was a little reckless when it came to saving people.

Greenscale must have noticed what I was doing, because he suddenly landed in front of me, his eyes looking worried. "**Morgan, don't even **_**think**_ **about going towards whatever dragon that was.**" He ordered, that same authoritative voice from just a few hours ago when he was teaching me sounding a little wavery for some reason.

I met his gaze with steel in my eyes, not backing down for a second. "**People- er, **_**Dragons**_ **could be in danger over there! What if whatever that was is attacking some innocent dragons? You're just going to let them get hurt?**" I shot back, the many times I've argued with Lucina over a battle plan coming to mind. We both wanted to save people, but we have differing opinions on how we should go about it.

The green dragon's gaze faltered slightly, not expecting me to snap back like that, before hardening again. "**I don't want to see **_**you**_ **get hurt, either! You don't really know how to fly all that well, hell, you don't even know how to use your fire **_**or **_**Aür! What do you expect to do that will help whoever is, if there's anyone, over there?**" I was actually a little taken aback by just how worried he sounded for me, but I couldn't let that get to me. I made a promise to myself that I would do everything in my power to make sure that nobody dies, even if I don't even know them.

"**...I'm sure I'll figure something out,**" I responded, before spreading my wings wide and taking off into the sky, flying as fast as I could without plummeting back to the earth. I heard Greenscale call my name behind me, but I ignored him. If he was going to let innocent dragons die, then that's fine by me, but I was going to help in any way I could.

I heard another piercing roar blast my eardrums, making me flinch from the sheer volume of it. The brief disorientation almost made me lose my focus and therefor my balance, but I quickly recovered, determined to make it to wherever the commotion was coming from. 'I'm not gonna let anyone die. Not while I'm alive to make a difference!'

I saw a couple dragons that I didn't recognize flying my way, looking very panicked and worried. They were both the same species, it looked like, but how they were up in the air was beyond me. Their wings were incredibly stubby compared to the rest of their bulky body, with huge jaws and massive teeth poking out of their mouths. Their tails looked especially sturdy, possibly used for bashing their foes in combat. They looked like they were trying to run from whatever I heard over there, so maybe they know something about what exactly that "thing" was.

"**Hey! You two!**" I called, trying to get the pair's attention. They seemed a little surprised to hear my voice, and when they turned to face me they looked even more shocked for whatever reason. I ignored it, however, flying up to them and hovering in place, panting slightly. "**Can you two tell me what's going on over there?**" I asked, gesturing with my head over towards the source of those loud roars.

They instantly tensed up, their eyes filled with terror. "**Oh, Naga, it was horrible! This huge, white dragon appeared from the ground, and started feasting on the island! Me and my mate were able to get out, but I saw some get trapped in their caves from the tremors!**" The large dragon on the right explained hastily, his voice shaky with fear. The dragon on the left, his mate, presumably, cowered during his explanation.

I swore under my breath. 'Of course it has to be a huge dragon. Why _wouldn't _it be a huge dragon?!' I thought, exasperated. It seemed like, everywhere I went, there was some kind of huge evil dragon waiting for me. _Everytime!_

I nodded my head in thanks for the information, before heading off towards where the two were coming from. "**W-Wait! Where are you going?**" I heard the female dragon call after me, sounding worried for my well being.

I turned to her, smiling confidently. "**To help, of course!**"

* * *

I had flown for a little over five minutes before I came across the area those two dragons had spoken of. On the way there, more dragons passed me by, all looking terrified out of their minds, but since I already knew where I was going there was no need to stop and talk to them. Besides, I needed to get there as fast as I could before others got hurt.

I raked my eyes across the ruined area as I touched down on the edge of the destruction, a feeling of sympathy and dread settling into my stomach. 'Gods… it looks like a war happened here.'

What once might have been a center for dragons of all shapes and sizes to settled down and relax, was now a pile of rubble and fire. The cliff I was currently sitting on the edge of led down into a series of ledges, but those ledges were now covered with large, jagged rocks that possible came from a landslide when the tremors first began. The ledges went lower and lower until eventually reaching a flatter region that bled into the shoreline, plumes of fire sprouting here and there as my eyes followed the carnage. That wasn't even close to be being the worst part, however. My ears folded against the back of my head as I realized those roars I had been hearing for a couple minutes now were the terror and anger filled cries of dragons trapped underneath the rubble, unable to muster the firepower or strength to tear away the rocks. 'What could have caused such damage?' I inwardly wondered. Only a massively powerful spell like Valflame or Mjolnir could've done enough to cause such a massive landslide, maybe Bolganone if the user was powerful enough.

My answer was abruptly given to me when a massive white dragon suddenly erupted from a fissure in the ground, almost making me lose my balance and tumble down into the rocks below. The entire earth seemed to shake as it rose into the air, a small (compared to the rest of it's body, at least) central body that had a huge maw filled to the brim with razor sharp teeth topping off it's massive form. It led to a large pair of wings which helped it speed upward, and an _extremely_ long tail covered in all sorts of dangerous looking spikes. I managed to catch a glimpse of it's eyes, and they were straight red, like there was no emotion at all. It let out an earsplitting roar, and I struggled to keep my feet on the ground as I firmly pressed my ears against the back of my head, trying to block out as much of the horrible noise as I could.

"**What **_**is **_**that thing?**" I said to myself, staring at the demon-like dragon with a mix of awe and apprehension.

"**White Demon.**" I jumped nearly six feet in the air when I heard Greenscale's voice next to me, not expecting for the Ripwing to have followed me. He stared at what he called a 'White Demon' with hardened eyes, following it's movements through the air.

I put a paw to my chest, feeling the rapid palpitations. "**Good Naga, Green, you nearly gave me a heart attack!**" I exclaimed, trying to calm my raging heart.

Whether he heard me or not I did not know, he simply glared at the massive dragon. "**An extremely powerful dragon that I've only heard mentioned a couple times before. It's said they feast on islands, and are never satisfied until they have consumed almost twenty times their weight in stone,**" He grimly explained.

'Twenty times…? That thing looks like it weighs about five times more than Minerva!' Indeed, it was an incredibly long _and _large dragon, but as I continued staring at the White Demon, watching as it scanned the landscape as if looking for something, I couldn't help but think that I've faced bigger. I suppressed a shiver, an image of Grima flashing through my mind. '_Much _bigger…'

Greenscale sighed, though this one sounded much angrier than before. "**Morgan, don't you see? There's no conceivable way for us to even try and defeat such a menace!**" He argued, trying to talk me out of this so we could leave somewhere safe. But for a tactician, the safety of your troops and securing a victory were the two most important things to consider when making a decision. Your own safety came second when the safety of many others were at stake.

"**Rule one of being a tactician,**" I began. Greenscale looked at me, confused. I turned to him, determination burning in my eyes. "**Never assume something is impossible.**" And with that, I leapt down towards where I heard the closest roars coming from, using my more sensitive ears to try and pinpoint where they were coming from. I needed to free as many of the trapped dragons as I could without garnering the attention of the White Demon, because as soon as I did I would have to fight it. I knew that with some careful planning and good execution, I could probably beat it in a fight, but I knew next to nothing about my foe, so chances of success were slim… but not nonexistent.

"**Morgan! Stop! This is suicidal!**" Greenscale harshly whispered, sounding desperate as he landed next to where I had jumped. He seemed very adamant about me not getting hurt, but as touching as it was, I had to save these dragons.

I sighed. "**Green, I appreciate your concern, but… these dragons need help. And if nobody else is going to provide it, then I will.**" I said, firm about my position in the matter. "**If you want to run so you don't get hurt, then that's fine by me. I don't blame you, but I'm going to provide as much help as I can, no matter the cost.**"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes looking into mine. I saw the worry there, the prominent fear, but there was something more there… it almost looked like _admiration._

"**...Alright.**" Greenscale began, rolling his shoulder blades. "**What can we do?**"

I blinked in surprise. He wasn't leaving? "**Wait, but… you want to help?**" I asked, genuinely confused. I didn't expect such a change in attitude from him at all.

He paused, before nodding reluctantly. "**As terrified as I am, I'm not gonna let you tackle this on your own. So consider me your partner for this rescue operation.**"

I stared at him, mouth agape. I was a little stunned, if I was being honest. "**Wow… okay, thanks, Green.**" I said, grateful for him offering his help. With him by my side, I'm sure this whole thing will go a lot easier. Now, it was time to get down to work. Going into what Cynthia called my 'business mode', I furrowed my brow as I scanned all of my options so I could make a quick plan of attack. The rocks were rather large, and judging from the various burn marks scattered around followed by the smaller bits of rubble, the dragons that had the firepower to escape already have, which left either the dragons with weaker fire, or the younger ones. The million-gold question is how do I find something that could break through these rocks? The only thing I could think of is either a powerful Arcfire or a Bolganone, but…

I had a sudden realization. 'The Aür… Green said it was like magic, but you pulled from yourself rather than using a conduit like a tome… maybe…?'

I quickly turned to Green, an idea now firmly set in my mind. "**Green, give me a quick rundown on how Aür works really quick,**" I asked, though it was more like a direct order. At times like this, I was so used to giving orders to an army that it kind of blended into how I made plans.

Greenscale seemed a tad taken aback by my sudden change in attitude. "**Oh, er, well, Aür is basically an energy that all dragons have within them, almost like an extension of their soul. If one wants to use their Aür, they have to channel the energy through them and release it into whatever form they want it to take,**" He explained quickly, trying to keep the explanation brief.

I nodded as I listened intently to his small speech, a plan beginning to formulate in my mind. It was crazy, and banked all on my ability to do something that was only a little similar to something from back home, but sometimes the best plans came from the most improbable places. "**When you see the White Demon, give me some sort of signal.**" I told my partner.

He looked at me, confused. "**Wait, what? What are you going to do?**"

"**Well, I don't exactly want to get caught by the damn thing, do I? I'm going to try and free these dragons, and to make sure we don't get caught by it, I need you to give me a signal, alright?**" I told him, coming off a little more aggressive than I originally wanted to. The last thing my plan needed was I giant, hungry, bloodthirsty dragon barreling towards me in the middle of trying to free some dragons. I could probably plan around it, but I most definitely did _not _want to try my luck.

Green's eyes widened a bit at my tone, before nodding rapidly. "**R-right, I got it,**" He said, turning to look at the skies. Thankfully, the White Demon wasn't in sight at the moment so I could get started at trying to figure out my Aür.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I calmed my nerves. Using magic required the utmost concentration, and I'm guessing Aür was the same way. I reached deep into my mind and body, looking for that familiar sensation of mana. It wasn't long before I came across a pool of energy that felt so similar to the mana I always used, yet… it was so foreign to me. I held back a wide smile. 'So this is Aür… let's put it to good use.'

I imagined that pool of energy was a tome held firmly in my grip, the pages riffling slightly in the breeze. 'I think an Arcfire will do,' I thought to myself, pulling a portion of the Aür from my reserves much like I would with a tome. I felt the energy disperse itself through my body, and then my scales began to feel abnormally warm, heating up quickly as the mana I had pulled reached every corner of my body, though it was mostly present in my chest. "**What the…**" I heard Green mutter, but I paid no mind to him at the moment. Had my eyes been open, I might've been able to see glowing-red, vein-like lines sprouting across my body. A tell-tale sign of the adept fire spell I was about to use. I felt my mana rising in power, my scales growing hotter.

Then, with a final roar, I released it.

"**ARCFIRE!**" I yelled, releasing a blast of extremely hot, concentrated magical fire from my maw, disintegrating the stone as soon as the fire touched it. I could feel the intense heat as the flames poured out of my throat, though I felt no heat from the inside, no searing of the inside of my mouth. Perhaps my mana instinctively threw up a protective shield on the inside of my throat to protect it from the intense heat. Arcfire was an extremely destructive, yet still controllable spell, so once I saw three dragons I didn't recognize cowering in the back of the cave I had uncovered with the flames, I quickly cut it off, wincing slightly as I did so. 'Geez… that took a lot more out of me than usual.'

I jumped into the cave, frowning as the three dragons eyes widened in fear, taking a step back from me. "**Are you three alright?**" I asked, ignoring their fear. In times like this, fear was a hindrance and could get you killed. The three looked somewhat surprised at my question, before they rapidly nodded, not looking as tense as they did before. "**Good, now I need you three to get out of here as quick as you can! You don't have much time before that dragon comes back!**" I ordered, which they responded to with firm nods, quickly taking off around me and through the opening I had created, their small wings carrying them over the treeline. 'Good… three down.'

"**What in the world was **_**that**_**, Morgan?!**" I heard Green's incredulous voice ask me. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at me with complete surprise.

"**Arcfire,**" I answered, jumping back out of the hole. "**A powerful fire spell, and what I'm going to use to free the rest of these dragons.**"

That did nothing to sate Green's curiosity, but he didn't voice any other questions, probably figuring now wasn't the time. "**I think I heard a group of them over there,**" He said, pointing with a wing over to a particularly large pile of rubble. I could hear multiple roars for help muffled under the rocks.

I nodded, already making my way over there. I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline and happiness, the kind I get when one of my plans was working. 'Now let's keep it that way.'

* * *

I grimaced as I quickly cut off my latest Arcfire spell, already beginning to feel the toll this plan has had on my mana reserves. It must have something to do with that "extension of the soul" thing Green had mentioned, since I'm not yet used to pulling mana from myself rather than using a tome as a conduit for the earth's mana.

Nonetheless, my plan had been working perfectly so far. I would melt through the stone, tell the dragons to escape, and Green would alert me of the presence of the White Demon. Thankfully, said massive dragon seemed preoccupied with eating the actual island itself, so I was able to free the trapped dragons with relative ease.

My breathing was a tad laboured as I jumped out of the most recent hole in the cliff I had made with my fire, wincing as my aching muscles protested me moving at all. Turns out using a large amount of Aür repeatedly over a short period of time isn't good for the user's body as a whole, fatigue beginning to catch up with me and my muscles starting to ache again.

"**How… many do you think… are left…?**" I asked between breaths to my partner, smacking my lips to try and rid myself of this tingling sensation I began to feel around the fifth Arcfire.

Green craned his neck, probably straining his ears so he could hear everything around him. "**...I think I hear a couple more over here, but that should be it,**" He relayed back to me once he was done.

I nodded. "**Alright, Let's hurry and get this over with… I don't want to be around this dragon longer than I need to.**" I said, starting to leap from rock to rock. I've only seen it's eyes a couple times, but there was something about them that was so offputting. Probably the fact that they had no pupils, and they were only red orbs. It reminded me too much of Grima…

"**I've gotta say Morgan, I'm impressed,**" I heard Green say as he began to follow me to the best of his ability. He was doing surprisingly well considering he didn't have legs. "**You only had a short time to come up with a plan, and yet its worked almost perfectly.**" He praised.

I chuckled sheepishly. People often complimented me for my quick thinking, but… it's something that everyone can do. I've just had a lot more practice than most others. "**It's no big deal. I was a tactician back when I was a human, so I've had time to refine my planning abilities,**" I replied, trying to stay humble. If there's one thing I hated, it was people gassing themselves up after one small victory.

"**Bah, don't be so modest,**" Green scoffed, catching up to me and giving me a look. "**Every dragon I know would've run away as soon as they could, but you… you jumped right into the fray without hesitation. That takes a lot of courage, Morgan,**"

'Oh, he doesn't know the half of it…' I thought grimly, thinking back to all the times I had to bravely jump into a situation where the odds were astronomically against us. "**Well, I try,**" I said, covering up my darkened thoughts with a smile.

It looked like Green wanted to say something more, but his eyes suddenly widened and he froze in his tracks. "**Morgan, get down!**" He whispered harshly, pulling me down with a wing to get me to lay against the rocks.

I wanted to ask him what was the matter, but just following his line of sight gave me the answer I needed. The White Demon was hovering in the air about twenty meters away, it's massive wings sending bursts of air in every direction. The spikes on its tail were raised, and it's huge Mae was open, showing off every single one of it's razor sharp teeth. That's not what worried me, though. What worried me were the three dragons cowering underneath it's murderous gaze, shaking like leaves in the wind.

"**Damnit…**" I muttered to myself. Of course, just when I thought we were going to get through this without a hitch…

Green seemed to have the same sentiment, swearing under his breath. "**What do we do now? There's no way for us to save those three without getting ourselves killed!**" He said quietly, and I couldn't bring myself to disagree with him. Those three dragons were in grave danger, but trying to save them would most likely get all five of us killed.

I blinked. 'Unless…'

"**Green, do you trust me?**" I asked, my tone serious.

He glanced over to me, eyes showing his surprise from the sudden question. "**Uh… w-well, yes, why?**" He answered reluctantly, unsure of what was going on.

I looked over to the three dragons. There wasn't much time left. "**Stay here. When I say 'now', I want you to escort those dragons to safety.**" I ordered.

He looked confused for a moment, before realization dawned over his muzzle. "**No. No no no no, no** _**way **_**am I letting you be a distraction!**" He protested, worry and fear creeping into his tone.

"**We don't have a choice, Green!**" I shot back, causing him to shrink back a bit from my tone. "**Any other way, those dragons die! I'm not going to let that happen!**" I told him off, before leaping into the air, ignoring Green's shouts as I flew headfirst for the White Demon. My mind flashed to the time Lucina and I took on an entire horse of Risen with only the two of us. This time, however, I wouldn't have my sister to watch my back. It was me versus the world.

Greenscale's yells also happened to catch the attention of the White Demon, as it turned to me with an angry snort. "**Hey!**" I yelled as I shot a small blast of Elfire at its hide, hiding a small grimace as I felt the strain it had on me. "**Pick on someone your own size!**" I taunted, internally noting that my Elfire had done nothing but leave a tiny scorch mark on it's side. 'Fire resistant hide… that complicated things a smidge.'

The dragon was now fully facing me, and though it had no pupils I could tell that it was furious, staring at me with murderous intent. The dragon's behind it were no longer trembling as much, staring at me with wide eyes.

Then, the White Demon roared, and shot after me like an arrow.

I exclaimed in surprised, frantically moving out of the way of it's barreling assault, not expecting it to be so agile in the air. Not wasting a moment I quickly turned towards Green. "**NOW!**" I shouted, before flying as quickly as I could in the opposite direction, not even glancing back for a second to see if he had heard or listened. I needed to get as far away as I could from them so I could ensure their escape.

Just as I predicted, the White Demon followed closely behind, letting out a piercing roar as it did. I gritted my teeth as I firmly pressed my ears against the top of my head, trying to block out as much of the painful sound as I could. It seemed like it lasted for hours before the roar finally stopped, letting me focus on flying away once more. 'Good Gods, How is it so loud?! I don't even think Grima was that loud!' I managed to wonder to myself over the pounding of my head.

The trees zoomed underneath me as I pumped my wings as hard as I could, ignoring the stinging pains I ignited with each wingbeat. I kept along the shoreline, not trusting my swimming skills should I fall over the ocean. From what I've seen, drowning is one of the least pleasant ways to die.

Suddenly, I heard a hissing sound from behind me. I quickly threw a glance behind me, trying to keep my body straightened as I did so, and instantly I was filled with fear when I saw what was happening. The White Demon's jaw was open again, but instead of an ear-splitting screech coming out, there was a low orange glow in the back of it's throat. 'Damnit… of course it has fire breath!' I thought, exasperated. The hissing reached a peak, then with a blast that I could liken to an Elthunder colliding with steel, a huge orb of flame shot towards me, and I quickly dove to move out of the way, instinct and adrenaline fueling my flight. I grunted and winced in pain when the tips of my wigs grazed the fire, singing the scales. It was intensely hot, and if I got hit by one of those I wouldn't likely survive it. I had to lose this guy… but how?

I didn't have any time to think, because as soon as I asked that question to myself I was suddenly struck with a stabbing pain in my side, then another on my tail. I yelled out in shock and agony, tilting my head to get a look at what caused the sudden pain, and to my shock I had two large thorns sticking out of my side and tail, blood leaking from the deep puncture wounds. I sucked in a breath through my teeth, grunting with increasing discomfort as my every wingbeat aggravated the wound, sending shots of agony down my side.

More thorns suddenly flew over my head. 'Damnit… it can shoot spikes, probably from it's tail. Less thinking, more flying, Morgan,' I reminded myself, before turning into a sharp nosedive, trying my damn hardest not to yell out in agony as the high wind speeds pushed the thorns upwards, tearing them deeper into flesh. I couldn't keep going much longer, that's for sure. This was going to end one way or another.

And as I saw a large group of dragons all sitting on the cliff I was approaching, probably survivors that were trying to regroup after the escaping the initial tremors and rockslide, it was definitely pointing at the 'I'm totally dead' option. I couldn't stop my dive now, because if I did I would just be rammed by the full weight of the White Demon, and there was no way I was pulling myself out of the way of those dragons in time. I was nowhere _near _that experienced with my flight. I racked my brain as quick as I could, trying to think of any option.

My thoughts went back to the Elfire I had casted at the beginning. 'It was resistant to fire, but… what about electricity?'

It was risky, _incredibly _risky, but it was all I had. I didn't have a clue as to what casting such a high level spell would do to me, but I didn't have a choice. It was now or never.

I calmed my nerves, letting the pain fade and my frantic mood settle. I let my mind wander to what many would consider my signature spell, one that I used in almost every battle we fought. 'Spear of the Heavens… Thoron.' That familiar tingling in the air before I cast it, the electricity dancing over my fingers… I could see it so clearly in my mind.

I slowly pooled the amount of power necessary to cast the powerful thunder spell, inwardly noting that it was three times the amount needed for a standard Arcfire. I silently waited, hoping that the White Demon would open its mouth.

Then I heard the hissing. It was time.

With one swift move, I twisted my body around midair to face my opponent, and I found myself staring down a maw filled with razor sharp canines. But I was faster. I felt the air become polarized around me, and I swear I saw the clouds above start sparking with powerful lightning. Then, I cracked my jaw open, feeling a powerful tingling deep within.

"**THORON!**"

My roar was accompanied with a massive beam of pure lightning shooting out of my mouth, faster than any arrow could possibly hope to be, straight into the open throat of the White Demon. I saw it's eyes widen in surprise for a split second, before it got blasted back by the sheer force of the explosion that ensued, smaller bolts getting sent in random directions from the discharge of electricity. I tried to block my face with my paws, the sudden bright light burning my corneas and the sheer force the explosion pushing me back.

I tried pushing against the powerful force with my wings, but since I was already falling downwards due to my dive it was no use, and I was sent flying towards the earth.

I heard the dragon's roars from below, though for what reason I did not know, I was more worried about getting my own body under control. My breathing quickened as I tried my hardest to untangle my limbs, shifting and turning in the air, though it seemed no matter what I tried I couldn't get a good position to open my wings or steady my descent, couple that with how much my entire body hurt and how fatigued I was from just casting one Thoron and you had a recipe for a crash landing.

I caught a quick glimpse of the ground. It was getting closer by the second. It wouldn't be long before I crashed into the rocky cliff side. The only hope I had was to tuck my body up and cast a quick protection spell, then hope for the best.

Protection spells were a rather uncommon type of magic. You only saw healers or adept sages use them, and even then they usually weren't powerful enough to protect against even the fullest of swords. I had seen the potential in them, though, and so did my mother, and she taught me everything she knew when it came to magic. Using a part of my very limited Aür reserves, I covered my body with a protective shell that was invisible to the naked eye, and curled up into a ball, hoping to minimize the amount of body parts that actually impacted the ground.

'Naga… if you're listening… let me survive this!' I prayed to whatever deity was listening, hoping that I will live to find my sister.

'Lucina…! I promise you, I'll come and find you!...'

That was the last thought that went through my mind before slammed into the rocky ground like a meteor from the heavens, and all of my senses went black.

* * *

**A mighty big 10k words with this one! It was kind of tough to write near the end there but I got it done. The White Demon, if you haven't figured it out by now, is the Screaming Death. Let me know what you guys thought of these last couple Morgan chapters! I have a lot of fun writing about both of these characters (Lucina and Morgan), So if you want more you've got it! As I said, the next chapter is back with Lucina, and will be out hopefully soon! In the meantime, I'll see you all next time! Don't forget to leave a review about what you liked/disliked!**


	7. 6:SharingTogether

**Oh my good god, I'm alive! Shocking, I know.**

**Before we get into the chapter, I want to apologize for my lack of updates and how slow I've been with this chapter. Writer's block hit and it hit **_**hard**_**, plus getting ready for college and work didn't help matters at all either. A huge, **_**huge **_**thanks to everyone that stuck with me while I worked my way past this little bout of inactivity, and I'm happy to say that the block has been mined and I'm just raring to go! So hopefully (**_**HOPEFULLY**_**) I won't get this far behind again.**

**With that out of the way, welcome back to another chapter y'all! Back to Lucina with this one, but for those of you who liked the Morgan scenes don't worry, we'll get back to him soon enough. Anyhow, let's get right to the juicy part.**

**Chapter is a go!**

* * *

A Future Past, a New Fate

Chapter 6: Sharing Together

* * *

Lucina's sleep, for the very first time in a _long _time, was dreamless. No nightmares of past events going horribly wrong, no visions of her family members dying horrible deaths in front of her, no _Grima_… just pure, unadulterated sleep. Her form was curled up into a ball with her head resting on the floor near her tail fin, torso slowly rising and falling in time with her breathing. She looked at peace with the situation she found herself in, something she had not felt since the beginning of the war against Grima. Her muscles were loose and relaxed, and her breathing was calm.

The sun had just begun its slow climb over the horizon, the first beams of morning light finding their way onto the island of Berk, illuminating the craggy cliffs with a soft orange glow. The population of Berk had just begun to awaken to the brand new day, whether it was from the light hitting their eyes or from overeager dragons ready for breakfast or a nice morning flight. Lucina, however, was perfectly content to continue her much needed beauty sleep, her body language showing just how content she was with the situation.

She didn't know it yet, but the reason she felt more comfortable with herself might've had something to do with the large wing draped over her protectively, belonging to a certain dragon who had drifted off near the end of their grooming session. During the night, Toothless had instinctively wrapped a wing around her, unknowingly making it plain to see the amount of affection he held towards the heir-turned-dragon. Lucina shifted slightly, snuggling closer to the source of warmth, whatever it may be, and Toothless happily accepted the closer contact, sighing in his sleep.

Lucina softly smiled in her comatose state, obviously pleased with her current position. With her head full of happy thoughts and her mind no longer as worried about the past, Lucina began to dream. Not of the horrific nightmares she had to experience in the past, but of a future that she had only caught glimpses of in her wildest daydreams. Glimpses of hope.

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

When my eyes opened, I was, at first, confused. A pure, blue sky opened up overhead, it's color like the most beautiful sapphire, stretching far beyond my eyes could see, a few white clouds floating aimlessly here and there. The sun shone partly behind a particularly large one, bathing me in a warm, yet not uncomfortable heat. I blinked in befuddlement, my brow furrowing. 'But wasn't I in…'

I slowly shuffled into a sitting position, my hands pressing into the plush, damp ground beside me. An endless grass plain filled my vision, the blades a vibrant, verdant green, swaying slightly in a nonexistent breeze. A few trees were scattered across the landscape, providing shade for any that decided to rest underneath the large oaks. Mountains could be seen in the distance, huge rocky peaks reaching towards the sky, snow capping the tops. I couldn't help but be filled with a sense of wonder as I gazed silently across the beautiful landscape. I didn't recognize the mountains, the grass, even the sky, but something inside of me was whispering that everything was alright. For some strange reason, I believed that small voice, a small smile worming its way onto my visage. This grass, this sky… it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The air felt crisper here than anywhere I've ever been, and the grass under my skin didn't irritate me when I sat upon it.

It was, in a word… amazing.

"Lucina!" An extremely familiar voice called from behind me. I perked up, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn't breathe as I slowly turned around, and sure enough, there was the man that had shaped me into everything that I had become today. I would recognize that unruly blue hair or that sleeveless right arm anywhere.

"Father…?" I breathed, unable to believe with my own eyes what I was seeing. Standing not twenty meters away, was my family. My father was standing in the middle of the three-person group, those vibrant blue eyes staring lovingly at me, so much care present in the blue orbs. My mother stood to his left, an intelligent air seemingly hanging around her like a particularly strong perfume. It was just as I remembered her. Finally, Morgan stood to Father's right, his bright smile the most energetic out of all of them.

I let out a laugh of disbelief, springing to my feet, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. "I… I-I…" I stammered as I trudged forward, struggling to find the right words. There was so much I wanted to do, so much I wanted to say, and it all wanted to come spilling out at once.

Chrom simply chuckled to himself, before spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Come here, my little princess," He said warmly.

That was all it took to break my resolve. Tears ran down my cheeks like rivers, and I closed the distance between me and my father in a couple of seconds, slamming into him and giving him a bone-crushing hug. I knew that this was a dream, I knew that what I was seeing wasn't real… but at the moment, I couldn't bring myself to care. Every single time I've dreamt of my father, it was either of him dying or of him looking at me with a disappointed scowl. To see him how I remembered him, a strong, fearless leader and a loving father… it was too much.

"Father!" I cried out, sobbing emphatically into my father's pauldron-clad shoulder, the liquid running off of the smooth metal like water on a duck's back.

I felt his strong arms wrap around me and pat me lovingly on the back. "It's okay Luci, I'm here. I'm here," he repeated.

I hugged him tighter, afraid that if I let go he would disappear. "... Father…" I managed to squeak in between sharp intakes of air, trying to get my emotions under control. His embrace was something that I had longed for for so long, and now I was finally fulfilling my desire that one day, I would be able to see him again. Even if this was a dream, it was enough for me. Anything to see them again was… the one thing I wanted.

I held my father for a long time, the wind caressing us like a soft, protective hand, almost encouraging me to enjoy this moment while it lasted. Eventually, I cried all of the tears I had to give, my voice slightly hoarse from my continuous wails of emotion. I was reduced to slight hiccups, sniffling every so often. Me and my father (very reluctantly on my part) slowly broke our embrace, facing each other for the first real time since this dream began. His blue eyes held so much care, never once leaving my own.

"I… I-I've m-missed… you m-more than y-you'll e-ever kn-know…" I managed to say in between my small hiccups, my eyes still watery with emotion as I happily looked at the familiar face of my father.

"You're strong, Luci," I heard my mother say to my right, forcing my shaky gaze to look towards her. Her signature coat, her snow-white hair styled in those oh-so-familiar twin ponytails… it took all of my willpower to not break down crying again on the spot. "It'll take more than homesickness to take my daughter down," the Grandmaster of Ylisse praised, looking at me with proud eyes.

I laughed, a genuine smile now firmly planted on my face. "M-mother… thank you,"

"Sis, I'm going to come find you, alright? Don't you worry!" Morgan exclaimed, catching me off guard. 'Come… find me?' I thought to myself, wondering what exactly Dream-Morgan meant by that.

Even though I hadn't said anything, Morgan laughed in response. "I mean when you wake up! Geez, you're _really _out of it, huh?"

I blinked in confusion, my eyes widening by a fraction. I hadn't said anything, how did he know what I was thinking? This is some dream…

I resisted the urge to sigh and let my hand meet my face. I just answered my own question not three seconds after asking it. 'Morgan's right… I _am _out of it,'

"Is something wrong, Lucina?" My father asked out of the blue, his comforting baritone filling my ears.

I smiled, appreciating his concern. "No, father I'm… fine…" I trailed off, slowly furrowing my brow in the middle of my sentence. Actually… it did feel like something was off. I glanced around myself, looking at father, at mother, at Morgan, at the beautiful landscape around me. It was everything that I had ever wanted, but it felt like there was something or someone _missing_.

My parents shared a knowing glance with each other, smirks present on each of their faces. Even Morgan looked like he was struggling to hold in a boisterous laugh, his cheeks puffing outwards with air and a fist over his mouth. I eyed my family curiously, idly wondering what they found so humorous. "What's the matter?" I asked.

Robin's eyes glinted with that steely shine that she normally had when she solved a particularly hard riddle, or when one of her well thought out plans was working. "I think the first thing you need to do to figure out what you're missing is to tell Toothless the truth of how you got here, and what you used to be." My mother advised.

My eyes widened. "How did you…?"

Mother held up a hand slowly, yet with authority, to silence me. "No relationship thrives off of lies. Remember that."

We stood in silence as I tried to decipher what she meant by that. She was talking about Toothless and I, right? Then what did she mean by relationship? She's not suggesting that me and him are _together_, is she? Because we _aren't!_

Still… I couldn't help but agree that I needed to come clean about what actually happened. I only told the lie because I was scared and I didn't entirely trust him and Hiccup, but now I feel like I can tell them.

Chrom chuckled as he walked up to me with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, patting me on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out sooner or later, Lucina. Until then, just know you have mine and your mom's blessing."

My vision began to flicker, and I clutched my head as I groaned in discomfort. "No… I can't wake up… I have so many… questions…" I muttered, trying my hardest to stay awake.

"Those questions, you can only answer yourself," Father said. "Now, I think it's about time you woke up."

* * *

And so I did.

My eyelids, weighed down by sleep, slowly slid open to greet the new day, my blue eyes half mast from fatigue. I let out a big yawn, smacking my lips to try and rid myself of the unusual taste in my mouth. 'Looks like I didn't sleep in that late today…' I noticed, seeing how there was barely any sunlight pouring through Hiccup's door. Normally, I would be up and ready for the day before the sun had even fully arisen from it's resting place beyond the horizon, but I don't know if it had something to do with my new body or if I was just becoming more comfortable with my surroundings, but I was content to just lie here, lying next to this oddly comforting heat that seemed to envelop me in a protective way. I sighed, snuggling closer to the cozy warmth. It felt so good against my tired scales, and the rhythmic rising and falling of it breathing was surprisingly relaxing.

Wait… breathing?

I blinked, my eyes now fully open. I twisted my neck so I could get a glance of whatever I was lying against, and almost immediately my breath quickened and my face burned with the force of a thousand suns. I don't know how or when it happened, but somehow me and Toothless managed to snuggle together in our sleep, our forms pressed next to each other with his wing wrapped over my back. His muzzle was mere inches from mine, and I was sure that if I was human my face would be as red as a tomato. I could feel every little shift of movement that Toothless made in his sleep, his chest pushing slightly against me every time he took a breath.

I know I should've been uncomfortable with my position, but something inside me was saying that this felt… right. The warmth he gave off _was _very pleasant, and for some reason having his wing wrapped around me protectively made me feel all warm inside, and not from the previously aforementioned heat Toothless gave off.

"**I just… don't understand,**" I muttered, not knowing what to feel anymore. Why did I not object to my current position? Had this been anyone else, I would've immediately pushed them away before quickly reaching for Falchion.

Why was Toothless… different?

I had been so caught up in trying to figure out my own emotions and feelings, that I didn't see Toothless begin to awaken from his slumber, his acid-green eyes slowly flickering open to greet the brand new day. His drowsy orbs slowly glanced around the sunlit house, not fully awake just yet. He let out a huge yawn, working the kinks of sleep out of his jaw.

I was in the middle of thinking about what I really thought of Toothless when his warm scales suddenly pushed against my own, his muzzle nuzzling against mine. If my blush was gone, it had returned with a vengeance. "**Mmm… Morning, Luci,**" He groaned, sounding half asleep.

"**Uh… Good morning,**" I managed to choke out, trying my hardest to ignore my raging heart. I could feel his warm breath mingling with mine when I shakily spoke, further reminding me just how intimate Toothless and I were being right now. It did nothing to calm my frazzled thoughts, either, just adding more fuel to my confused emotions. "**H-how did you, uh, sleep?**" I asked, trying to get my mind off of my own feelings. I would figure them out in time.

Toothless paused in his shows of affection, his eyes now fully awake. I watched, confused, as he pulled away, his pupils narrowing ever so slightly as his tongue flicked out of his mouth, touching the side of his cheek for a split-second before retracting back between his lips. "**...How come you're wet, Lucina? Is something wrong?**" He questioned, staring into my eyes with a mixture of confusion and worry.

I blinked, instinctively reaching up with my paw to feel the side of my face, and sure enough the scales were slightly damp with what I recognized as my tears. 'My dream… I thought I was just crying in my mind!' I thought as realization dawned over me. I had only cried in my sleep a couple times before, but that was only after a particularly hard battle, or when… when one of us was KIA. I normally had masterful control over my emotions, since showing too much emotion in battle could lead to defeat. Perhaps staying here and being around Toothless for as long as I have has changed me more than I thought…

"**Uhh… Earth to Luci?**" Toothless's soft growls broke me out of my thoughts once more. I blushed, though this time out of embarrassment, shaking my head as if to break myself out of some rut.

"**S-Sorry… Yes, I-I'm fine,**" I reluctantly lied, cringing on the inside as I was saying it. I didn't want to lie, but talking about my parents was… too painful.

… But then again, it was mother that said that 'no relationship thrives off of lies'. Maybe it's time I told Toothless and Hiccup the truth.

Not because we were in a relationship, it was merely because we were _friends! _Nothing more!

I could tell that Toothless didn't believe me for a single second. "**...Alright, but remember that I'm here if you need me,**" He assured as he slowly rose to his feet, removing his wing from its hold on my back. I silently lamented the loss of warmth, the cool breeze licking my scales where his touch once was. I took his movement as an incentive to finally get my own tired body moving, slowly rising to my feet as to not irritate my sore muscles any more than they already were. 'No more fights for a while,' I decided, hoping that Redthorn dragon wasn't going to show up again.

"**Now c'mon, I wanna go wake Hiccup up so we can go on my morning flight!**" Toothless said giddily with a hint of mischief. His eyes held that same glint that Cynthia had when she was about to pull off one of her infamous pranks. I'll never forget the Feather Incident… I'm pretty sure Gerome has never been the same since that one.

I eyed him cautiously as I shook out my body, trying to work out the kinks in my muscles from sleeping. "**Shouldn't we wait until he wakes up on his own? Surely, he deserves to get some sleep,**" I asked, trying to let the person who took me in so easily get some well-deserved rest. I knew firsthand how difficult it could be to lead a people.

That did nothing to deter the mischievous smirk that was now painfully obvious on his muzzle. "**Pfft, no way, if anything he should feel honored he gets to ride upon a majestic dragon such as myself!**" He boasted, tilting his head upwards while his chest swelled with self-injected pride.

I chuckled lightly at his antics, rolling my eyes. He really reminded me of Owain every now and then. "**My apologies, oh fearful dragon, it seems I had forgotten my place,**" I teased, running with his supposed joke. I wasn't the best at understanding humor, but I was determined to get better at it.

Thankfully, my shot in the dark seemed to have hit dead on, if his chuckling and continued smirking were anything to go by. "**I may have it in me to forgive you… if you help me wake Hiccup up,**" He said, eyeing me with a slight apprehension.

I exaggerated placing a claw to my chin, sitting on my haunches. "**Hmm… you make a compelling case. Alright, I'll join your mischief,**" I playfully relented, shooting him what I _hoped _looked like an evil grin.

Toothless' smirk slowly grew into a wide, toothy smile, and if I didn't know that he wasn't going to do anything to hurt me, I would be _terrified_. "**Then follow my lead…**" He whispered lowly, chuckling under his breath.

Trailing behind him as he quietly plodded outside, I briefly wondered what I had gotten myself into.

* * *

Our attack was quick and ruthless. Hiccup had been blissfully unaware of the impending doom waiting above him as Toothless banged on the rafters above and I burst through his door, letting out a battle-roar as I did. The chieftain of Berk quickly jolted awake, yelling out in complete shock and fear. "AAAAAGH, WHAT THE-" He exclaimed, shooting straight up in his bed. His eyes were wild and his hair was a frizzy mess as he looked frantically around the room, before he noticed who barged into his room in the first place.

His eyes went to where the banging sound was originating, and back to me. He stared at me dubiously, his eyebrow creased in what looked like a mixture of frustration and grogginess. "Did Toothless rope you into this?" He accused, though it sounded like more like a statement than a question.

I responded by looking as innocent as I could, sitting on my haunches and flashing a toothy smile. "**You don't have proof of that!**" I heard Toothless muffled voice call from outside, and I had to stifle a laugh due to the absurdity of this situation.

Hiccup groaned as he placed his head in his hands, shaking it softly while muttering something about 'crazy dragons'. "Well, I'm up now… you happy, you big lug?" He asked rhetorically, throwing off his uncomfortable looking blanket and slowly getting to his feet. Er… well, foot.

"**Very!**" Toothless called back through the wood, followed by a loud _woosh _and a distant thud.

I eyed the chieftain with a mixture of pity and amusement. "**I apologize, Hiccup, but I wished to join you two in a morning flight, and it appeared this was the only option. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was adamant in his… position,**" I explained.

He gave me a deadpan look. "In other words, you thought it would be funny." I blinked, a little surprised at his perception. The chieftain saw right through my ruse, causing me cough awkwardly and glance away for a moment.

"**Er… Y-yes, that is correct,**" I affirmed, a tad embarrassed for hour easy I was to see through. I was usually very good at hiding my emotions… I wonder why I was cracking more than usual?

Hiccup waved me off, however, stumbling over to his closet and quickly taking off his nightwear, which most _definitely _made my face heat up when I caught a glimpse of how… well built he was. I glanced away, finding the situation to be incredibly awkward, even though he wasn't aware of it, since he didn't know that I used to be human.

'They didn't know I used to be human.' My brain automatically repeated in the recesses of my mind, reminding me that I was living a lie at the moment. I didn't want to keep telling this falsehood, but I just didn't know how to break it to him and Toothless. I was sure that Toothless would be very angry with me for withholding such a crucial detail of my past, but Hiccup… perhaps he would be more understanding?

" - Lucina? Lucina!" I blinked, ripped from my thoughts by Hiccup calling my name in an attempt to catch my attention. Judging by his confused expression and how his armor was only half on, he had been trying for a good minute by now. I flushed in embarrassment. I wasn't normally one to get lost in my own thoughts like that. "Are you alright? You kinda zoned out for a second. Almost reminded me of Fishlegs when somebody mentions roast mutton," He chuckled, an image of the portly boy flashing through my mind.

I laughed lightly at his comment, but we both could tell that my heart was most definitely not into it.

"**I… I'm fine, Hiccup, I'm just… thinking.**" I reluctantly lied. I was still indecisive on whether I should tell my caretakers who I actually was before all… _this._ 'It's the right thing to do,' a part of my brain told me. 'Keeping them in the dark isn't helping you out. Besides, you only lied to them because you were afraid. And you're not anymore!'

'So _what _if we aren't afraid? That doesn't discount the fact that they could still get extremely angry with us, or attack us because we're 'unnatural' or something like that.' The more logical side of my mind argued.

'But they won't! Don't you remember how they reacted to us talking about manaketes? They sounded ecstatic! They'll be understanding about this!' Empathy argued.

Logic grumbled slightly, not finding anything to fire back with. '...Alright, fine. We'll tell Toothless after the flight, and then Hiccup. Just don't come crawling back to me if everything goes to hell!'

Empathy sounded relieved. 'That's all I ask.'

"LUCINA!"

I yelled out in surprise and jumped back towards the door, my flat-footed paws making huge impacts with the wooden flooring and my wings almost bowling over some of Hiccup's furniture. My breathing was quick and heavy from the unexpected shout that Hiccup directed at me. It seems that I had gotten wrapped in my thoughts… again. Two times in less than a minute? That's gotta be a new record…

Hiccup looked guilty, presumably for scaring me. He had gotten his armor fully on while I wasn't paying attention, the material it was crafted out of glinting slightly in the sliver of sunlight coming from the cracked window. "Woah, easy! I didn't mean to scare you," He said, holding both hands up as a universal sign of peace.

I felt my cheeks heat up considerably from the embarrassment of zoning out so much. "**I-I apologize, Hiccup… I don't know why I'm so jumpy,**" I lied, resisting the urge to glance away with guilt. 'After the flight…' I reminded myself, hoping that having a clearer mind would help in my explanation.

His furrowed brow and sullen look told me that he didn't believe my reassurances whatsoever, but thankfully he didn't say anything against it, probably deciding that it was best to drop the subject. "Well, let's go get Toothless. He's probably already burned down half the village waiting for us," He muttered with exasperation.

I chuckled lightly, agreeing with him.

* * *

Luckily, Toothless's patience had managed to keep him on a leash, albeit a very _loose _one, for the whole five minutes he had waited for is.

"_**There**_ **you are!**" He exclaimed when Hiccup and I casually strolled out the front door, my scales thankfully not rubbing nearly as much this time around. "**I've been waiting for ages!**"

Hiccup playfully scoffed, smirking. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, your majesty," He said, giving the Nightfury a mocking bow.

Toothless responded by puffing out his chest and raising his head and shoulders higher than they normally were, trying to look king-like. Coming from somebody who actually _was_ a royal, he was failing miserably. "**I **_**might**_ **accept your apology… if you promise to give me a fresh cod.**" He said, his tongue running along the circumference of his muzzle.

I didn't like how tingly I felt when he did that.

Hiccup chuckled. "Well, I can't get you any fish if we aren't up in the air, right?"

Toothless snorted in indignation, but the shining of his eyes betrayed his true emotions. "**I guess we have no choice but to go flying, then. Hop on, fleshling.**" He said, lowering himself slightly so Hiccup could easily climb into the saddle already strapped to his back. His rider shook his head before obliging, his metal leg clanking with each step as he made his way over.

I silently laughed at the two's antics, my shoulders shaking.

* * *

Our flight was exactly what it needed to be; peaceful. Our course was left uninterrupted as Toothless and I soared through the clear skies of Berk, Hiccup guiding our movements. The cool morning air was incredibly refreshing against my warm scales, the soft breeze caressing my sleek form like a mother's loving touch. The sun glinted beautifully across the ocean, about three-quarters of the way above the horizon, signifying how early it was. The vast expanse of green that I had stayed on these past couple days now seemed insignificant, dwarfed by the vast sea around it, the village even more so, tall huts now mere specks among the green.

We let a comfortable silence fill the void between the three of us, which I was grateful for. It gave me the opportunity to collect my thoughts, which had been anything but organized these past few days. It had been a whirlwind of action for me, and I could only imagine what Morgan has had to deal with.

As we soared soundlessly through the air, I thought. Thought on how I was going to find Morgan. Thought about how I was going to even get home.

Mostly, though, I was trying to steel myself for the conversation I was going to have once we landed. I never was the greatest when it came to wording things in a way that wasn't extremely blunt. My version of letting someone down easy was 'insulting them to their face while I have a mean scowl the whole time', as Morgan so kindly put it. It isn't my fault that Inigo doesn't know the definition of no!

We flew for a few more minutes before we landed on a sandy part of the island I had never seen before on the complete opposite side of the island, away from the hustle and bustle of Berk. I marveled for a second at the simplistic beauty of the small beach. This beaches sand wasn't like the sand we had back home, coarse and rough from countless battles on Ylisse's beaches. The sand here was fine, and actually comfortable to step on with no fear of stepping on broken glass or shrapnel. The water, while not clear, was a vibrant blue, a big difference from the almost purplish water of the future. The waves lapped at my paws, the cool temperature sending a slight chill down my back, and I inwardly wondered how refreshing it would be to just jump into the ocean for a swim. I hadn't gone swimming in a long, _long _time. I could almost feel the cool water flowing smoothly against my scales…

Then I actually _did_ feel the water on my scales when Toothless abruptly jumped into the ocean, spraying salty water in every direction possible. I flinched back from the sudden spray of surprisingly cold saltwater, my wings instinctively unfurling as if to block my face from the cold spray.

"**Thanks a bunch, Hiccup!**" I heard Toothless call with a mouthful of what I assumed was the fish he had requested earlier.

The rider laughed at his friend's playful antics, his hands on his hips. "Yeah, yeah, just don't entirely decimate the fish colony this time, alright bud?"

My eyes bugged out of my head when he said that. "**He's eaten **_**that much **_**before?**" I asked in disbelief. I could see a lot of fish swimming about as he ate one after, and I couldn't even fathom how he had eaten so much as to completely wipe out an entire colony of fish.

Hiccup's shoulders shook with hidden laughter while he shook his head. "No, but he came close a couple months ago on a different part of the island. I try to stay away from there so the population can at least _try _to rebuild itself," he mused.

"**How does someone even eat that much?**" I asked, incredulous, just as Toothless scooped up another unsuspecting fish into his gaping maw.

Hiccup shrugged, smirking. "I've studied a lot about dragons, but that one question is something I still have no answer for."

After watching Toothless fish for another ten minutes, I couldn't find an answer, either.

He eventually had his fill of the poor fish, plodding over to us with a goofy smile on his face. "**Ahh… that hit the spot!**"

Hiccup gave him a deadpan stare. "Really. Couldn't tell,"

Toothless responded with a cheeky grin.

The rider rolled his eyes playfully, his smirk never fading. "Well, since you've eaten about twice your weight in fish, why don't we rest here for a bit?" Hiccup offered, gesturing to the sandy beach around us.

Toothless promptly flopped onto the sand.

"I'll take that as a yes," Hiccup said to himself. I chuckled at the two's antics.

* * *

We had talked to each other while we rested on the sandy beach, just passing the time and enjoying each other's presence. I had only just realized as we began to talk that I hadn't really had a full, friendly conversation with my two new friends since I had abruptly arrived on Berk. Every time we talked, it was either about something serious or just joking around. It was a nice change of pace to just… _talk._ I was (Well… _am,_) a little out of practice in the art of social interaction, so I was a little awkward in the beginning of our conversation, but I quickly grew comfortable with the little talk we were having. They regaled tales of some of the incredible escapades they had found themselves going through, from battling a dragon that lured other dragons in and trapped them with a substance that hardens as soon as it touched air, to participating in some sort of sport that requires a bunch of dragon riders and a sheep.

Eventually, the conversation turned to me. I knew deep down that they would eventually steer the topic towards my past, but I was still caught off guard when Toothless said, "**So, Luci, how's your family? I know about your brother, but I was wondering if you have any other siblings, parents…**"

I felt my heart skip a beat when he mentioned my family. "**Oh, er…**" I stammered, not ready for such a question. It had been so long since I had even mentioned my mother or father in conversation, so I was a little surprised when they asked me about them. I didn't blame them for catching me off guard, they didn't know what had happened to me over the years.

Hiccup must've noticed my obvious discomfort, because he gave me a look of pity. "It's okay if you don't want to talk, Lucina," He said, placing a hand on my side, trying to comfort me.

Toothless must have remembered the last time he had asked about my past, back when I had first arrived in Berk as realization flashed across his eyes. "**O-oh, sorry, I didn't mean…**" He trailer off, glancing away with a guilty look on his face.

I looked over to him, a soft but sad smile barely visible on my muzzle. "**No… it's fine. I won't be able to move on if I don't talk about it.**" I said, barely loud enough for them to hear. It was if I didn't even trust my own voice to tell this extremely sensitive tale. I hadn't touched this topic with others in… well, _years._ But, as my mother had said, the first part of coping was sharing your feelings with others. In hindsight, it was almost like I had actively avoided doing just that my entire life.

Toothless and Hiccup glanced at each other, looking like they were having an internal debate between themselves, before they turned back to me, curiosity shining in both of their eyes. "Alright, go ahead Lucina, but you can stop whenever you want." Hiccup said, sitting cross-legged next to his dragon.

I nodded in thanks. "**Okay… where to begin…**" I muttered, scouring my mind for the best place to start in my extended family. Perhaps I should start with my cousins, then end with my p-parents…

"**Well, first I would like to say that I do have an extended family, and many close friends.**" I began, lying on my stomach so I could get comfortable for what was going to be a long explanation.

My two listeners instantly became intrigued by this notion, their eyes widening a fraction. I stayed silent for a moment, expecting they were going to react in someway, but they didn't say anything, presumably to let me continue.

I cleared my throat before moving on. "**You already know of my brother, Morgan, but there was also my cousin, Owain. I have no doubt you would've gotten along with him quite well, Toothless,**" I nodded my head towards said dragon.

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Wait, _cousin_? You mean there's even _more _Night Furies out there?" He asked, sounding incredulous.

I resisted the urge to flinch at his question, before nodding reluctantly. "**Er, y-yes,**" I stammered.

I internally admonished myself for not being strong enough to own up to the truth of the matter, which was that I wasn't even supposed to be a Night Fury.

Toothless tilted his head in curiosity. "**What was he like?**"

I smiled softly at the thought of my eccentric cousin. He was always one of my closer friends. "**He was… eccentric, to say the least. Theatrics was his specialty, always ready to yell out the name of some special move he'd been working on and talking about his 'aching blood' or how he's the scion of legend,**" I told them, recalling all of the times Owain had been overly silly, which was almost every single time I had seen him if I was being honest.

Toothless grinned, chuckling to himself. "**Sounds like a fun guy,**"

"**... He was,**" I said after a small pause, my smile faltering ever so slightly. It had just occurred to me how much I truly missed everyone. I didn't know how I was even going to attempt to get home, and until then my family and friends would only serve as a broken memory to me.

"Uh… you alright, Lucina?" Hiccup asked, noticing my long pause.

I blinked, before scowling at my own inattentiveness. "**Y-yes, I apologize.**" I said, quickly forcing my expression into a more neutral one. I had to be strong, no matter how hard it was.

I sighed, resetting my mindset before continuing. "**I had other friends, too. Let's see here… Cynthia, Brady, Yarne, Nah, Gerome, Kjelle, Laurent, Severa, and Inigo.**"

Hiccup whistled. "Wow. That's… a lot of dragons,"

I resisted the urge to cringe. 'Damnit… how are they so good at making me feel bad for lying without even trying?' "**Y-Yes, it was,**" I tried to suppress the nervous stammer that came out, but it was still noticeable to anyone paying attention. If I were paying attention to my audience, I would've noticed Toothless's eyes narrow slightly, his pupils thinning themselves out.

"**And then there was…**" I paused, taking a shaky breath. "**There was my p-parents.**" I managed to choke out, my throat muscles tightening as I did.

Hiccup, ever the master of emotions, noticed almost immediately that something was wrong. "...What happened to them?" He quietly asked, his voice filled with anticipation and worry.

Toothless caught onto what Hiccup was asking of me, looking over to me with a morbidly curious, yet apprehensive gaze.

I quickly glanced away, my throat constricting as if my body was trying to prevent me from mentioning anything that had to do with my parents. I felt a familiar damp sensation at the corners of my eyes, and it didn't take long for me to realize I was crying. "**... Th-they were… k-killed when I w-was young…**" I barely managed to whisper to them, my tears falling full force now. The hot droplets splashed onto the sandy beach beneath me, before being quickly absorbed by the sand. Sobs wracked my form, and I subconsciously tucked myself into a ball, as if I were trying to hide from the truth of what happened to mother and father. 'D-Damnit… why does this happen every time I try to talk about them? Why can't I move on?!'

Then I felt a familiar leathery texture suddenly wrap around my body, before pulling me towards a comforting source of heat I immediately recognized as Toothless. The familiarity of the situation reminded me of the night before, when I had awoken to find that Toothless had subconsciously pulled himself closer and snuggled into me during his sleep. Except this time around, I wasn't embarrassed or slightly uncomfortable. I relished in the comforting touch he provided for me in my time of emotional insecurity. I could feel my hot tears rolling off my face and onto the scales of his torso, filling the minuscule cracks between the black circles. His wing was wrapped tightly around me, and it didn't take a genius to tell he was worried. Extremely worried.

"**Sh-shhh… it's okay, Luci. I'm right here,**" He whispered softly to me, trying his hardest to comfort my turmoiled emotions.

With the emotional side of my brain in shambles, I didn't even realize that for the first time since their deaths, I had a shoulder to cry on. Morgan, while I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world, wasn't the best for having serious conversations with, and I wasn't comfortable talking about my parents with any of the others.

Then why was Toothless… _different?_

I decided not to question it, however, taking advantage of the situation and nuzzling closer into his side, grateful for his comforting touch.

* * *

We stayed like that for quite some time, enjoying the warmth of each other's contact. Eventually, I had no more tears left to give, reduced to sniffs and snivels. However, even after I had stopped the waterworks, Toothless still held firm onto my side, resting his muzzle on top of my neck. It was not until he was likely completely confident with my emotional state did he finally release his hold on me, lifting his (admittedly powerful) wing from my back. Silently, I yearned for his strong, yet careful touch again.

Hiccup stood off to the side, looking worried as well. He had probably been waiting for a long time, and looked relieved that I had stopped.

Toothless craned his neck so that he could face me, his acid-green eyes staring deep into mine, as if searching for something. "**...Better?**" He asked after a pause.

I was silent for a moment before nodding ever so slightly, sniffing. "**Y-yes… I think so. Th-thank you…**" I said, genuinely grateful for what he did. It had been a long time since I truly let my emotions loose like that.

A silence fell between the three of us for a short time. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, no, merely a bout of speechlessness that allowed the three of us to collect our scrambled thoughts.

Of the three of us, I was the first to speak, albeit with a slight stutter in my nervous voice. "**I-I apologize for w-worrying you two, my p-parents are a… touchy subject, to say the least,**" I said, trying my hardest to reign my fragile emotions inward.

Toothless and Hiccup gave each other a worried glance, before the dragon turned back to me, shaking his head firmly before pushing his snout into the side of my face, most likely as a showing of comfort. "**You don't need to apologize for anything, Luci. **_**I **_**should be the one saying sorry for bringing up the topic…**" Toothless muttered, looking guilty.

"**You d-didn't know, Toothless. R-really, it's fine,**" I assured, nuzzling him back. I was too caught up in my own distraught feelings that I didn't even realize that what I was doing was considered extremely intimate.

I reluctantly relinquished my contact with him, and another silence like before fell between us. Unlike the last one, though, this one did feel a tad uncomfortable after what we had just talked about.

Hiccup broke the silence with a question that I hadn't been asked in a very, _very _long time.

"...What were they like?" He questioned quietly, barely above a whisper, but I was able to hear it due to my enhanced hearing.

I glanced over with a confused look, wondering what he meant by that.

"Your parents, I mean. What were they like?" He finished his question, sitting on top of a nearby stone as if getting ready for a long story.

I was taken aback by how such a simple question could invoke such incredibly strong emotions within me.

"**...Wh-why do y-you ask?**" I breathed, trying to keep my voice from wavering too much.

I immediately noticed how Hiccup's eyes took on a slight haze over them, as if he was recalling a fond memory. "Trust me when I speak from experience that… talking to other people about the ones we've lost makes it easier to move on," He said, a sad smile adorning his face.

My eyes widened a tad, then my watery gaze softened. "**...Who did…?**" I began to ask, but stopped myself, unable to continue with that line of questioning.

"My dad," Hiccup whispered, standing up as he did so. It surprised me with how quickly he answered my question. I noticed that Toothless shifted suddenly when Hiccup mentioned his father, but I wrote it off as nothing important. "He was the strongest Viking this world has ever seen and ever will see." He said, walking slowly towards me before opening his palm and gently placing it on the scales between my eyes.

I immediately felt the influence of his empathetic powers wash over me, foreign emotions flooding my senses. I felt a similar sadness to the one I held within me at all times, but it was a different kind of sadness. This one felt… _healed_, for a lack of a better word. However, more prominent than that familiar sadness… was acceptance. Understanding. Hiccup knew how I was feeling _because _he had once felt the exact same thing, and still does to a limited extent. The only difference, is that he's accepted it and moved forward away from it.

Something I have yet to do.

And then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and my senses were forced into the waking world.

I took a deep gulp of air as soon as I was released from the emotionally stupor that Hiccup seemed to put me under whenever he used did this, almost like I was holding my breath the entire time he had his hand on me.

Hiccup seemed just as, if not more disoriented than I was after the experience, holding a hand over his heart while struggling to hold back the tears that had unwillingly gathered at the bottom of his eyes.

Toothless stood off to the side, staying put at the moment, but that could change any second judging by his anxious posture. He glanced between the two of us, confusion and worry evident in his eyes. "**Hiccup? What happened?**" He asked.

Hiccup sniffed before shakily nodding, lifting his head up slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine bud… it's just," He glanced over to me, a pitiful expression on is face. "How long have you held this in, Lucina?"

Both dragon and rider held their gazes on me now, expecting an answer that I didn't really want to reveal. I sucked in a shaky breath. "**...Longer than I will ever care to remember,**" I admitted, my volume barely above a whisper.

Hiccup and Toothless both shared a worried glance between each other. "Well…" Hiccup started, his gaze flickering back over to my own watery one. "Better late than never. What were they like?" He repeated, sitting cross-legged on the grass in front of me. Toothless mimicked Hiccup's actions, except instead of crossing his legs he crossed his paws, lying flat on his stomach.

For a moment, I couldn't speak. I was taken aback by their kindness and how much they cared for me in this instance, trying my hardest to recall the last time anybody had asked me what Mother and Father were like. I couldn't remember. I scoured my brain, but nothing came up. Morgan and I talked about our parents, yes, but the subject was so painful, so fresh on our minds for the both of us that we couldn't really get past a couple sentences before abruptly changing the subject.

"**My p-parents…**" I choked out, unsure with who I should start with, and uneasy that I was even talking about them at all.

Toothless cut me off, easily noting my unease. "**Take your time, Luci.**" He said softly, assuring me that they weren't in any rush.

I took a moment to collect myself (or at least attempt to), before I began to speak once more.

"**Father…**" I paused for a moment, that one word bringing back so many memories. Some were bad, but… there was a lot of good there too. "**He was one of the strongest leaders I've ever known. He looked after our people with a firm, yet caring rule, and on the battlefield he was always a force to be reckoned with no matter the foe, sometimes taking on pe- **_**dragons **_**twice his size. His physical prowess was unmatched.**" I said, more and more memories flooding back as I spoke of the man I looked up to, who drove me to do I do everyday.

Hiccup's eyes went wide. "Your dad was the _Alpha_?" He asked, sounding a little disbelieving.

I almost didn't know what he was talking about, but quickly realized that they both thought my parents were dragons. My mother's words from my dream echoed through my head once more. "**...Yes, he was.**"

Toothless's brow furrowed, though for what reason I did not know.

I ignored whatever plight was plaguing him for now, deciding to ask him whatever it was after this talk. "**Chrom… that was his name. He was rough, but he had to be with those under his rule. With his friends and family, he was the kindest dragon out there,**" I continued, a sentimental smile slowly appearing on my muzzle as I spoke.

Hiccup nodded in agreement, most likely comparing my father with his own. "What about your mom?" Hiccup asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

It was much easier to talk about mother this time around. "**Robin was one the most intelligent dragons you'll ever meet, and a master of the arcane. She was unparalleled when it came to magic, and she was almost like my father's other half. He was the brawn, and she was the brains. Together they were inseparable and… unstoppable.**" I said the last word with a heavy weight in my chest, remembering how I used to say that all the time in my youth.

Then, one day, they never came home.

Both of my listeners perked up at the word magic, curiosity evident in their eyes. "**Magic? You mean like Aür?**" Toothless questioned, his brow still furrowed ever so slightly.

I had no idea what Aür was, but I'm going to assume that it was what they called magic. "**Yes, but where I come from we called it magic.**"

Hiccup's eyebrows raised, partially covered by his messy head of hair. "Magic, huh? What could she do? I haven't seen much magic around Berk, but I've heard it can do some pretty amazing stuff,"

I nodded in agreement, remembering just how powerful my mother's magical abilities were. "**With her most powerful spells,**" Toothless scowled when I said this for some reason, "**She could create winds sharp enough to cut through steel, bolts of lightning from the heavens to strike down her foes, even fire strong enough to move the ground around her,**" I listed, recalling the effects of Rexcalibur, Mjölnir and Valflame. These were spells she restricted to Risen battles, not wishing to use them on people due to their destructive and painful attacks.

Hiccup's eyebrows rose further towards his hairline. "That's… that's powerful," he said.

I nodded. Her powerful collection of spells was almost frightening at times. "**She definitely was not one to be crossed, that's fur su**-"

"**Lucina?**" Toothless abruptly interrupted, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

I blinked in surprise, not expecting him to suddenly jump in like that after being silent for so long. 'It seems like he began to act weird during this talk, actually…' "**Yes?**"

"**Can I talk with you in private for a moment?**" He requested, gesturing over towards the forest to our right. His expression was not the usual aloof one I had grown so used to, no. This was the most serious I had seen him be since I had first arrived on Berk.

Hiccup and I both seemed a little taken aback by his sudden request. We glanced between each other, confusion evident on both of our faces. "**Oh, e-er, sure…**" I reluctantly complied, unsure of his motive for this little talk.

Just as sudden as his request, the Night Fury clambered to his paws and began making his way over towards the foliage, not even waiting for me to follow.

I watched his retreating form for a moment, now more confused than ever, before quickly realizing that he wasn't going to wait for me. "**W-wait for me!**" I called after him, rising to my feet.

He never turned back to acknowledge that he had heard me, not a word to ease my fears.

I drew in a shaky breath before going after him, a little afraid of the topic of this upcoming discussion.

"Uh… okay, I'll just wait here, I guess," Hiccup called, sounding exasperated.

* * *

We walked through the woods in silence, the only sounds to fill the void being the occasional animal call from somewhere around us and my own frantic heartbeat.

My eyes zipped from our path forward to Toothless, who still hasn't turned around or said a word since we began walking.

I hadn't felt this nervous in a long, _long _time.

My thoughts were plagued with uncertainty and questions I had no answer for. 'What does he want to talk about? Why do we have to be alone? Is he angry? If so, why?' On and on my brain went, question after question pouring into my mind.

I was in the middle of trying to find any sort of answer when I was interrupted by Toothless finally talking. "**You have some explaining to do.**" He said, abruptly stopping in his tracks and turning around to face me, his eyes dead-set on my own, his pupils turned to slits.

My ears subconsciously folded back onto my scalp, and I felt something I hadn't felt towards Toothless since my first encounter with him; _fear_. "**Wh-what are you-**"

"**Don't play dumb!**" He snarled, suddenly cutting me off, his sharp teeth barely visible but still extremely threatening. "**You're hiding something. I know you're not telling us the whole truth of why you're here!**"

It felt like my heart had dropped into my stomach. _He figured it out. _'Damnit damnit damnit, I should've told them the truth from the beginning!' I mentally berated myself, dread beginning to set in. Why did I have to lie to them? It would have made things so much easier if I had just told them the truth from the beginning!

I wanted to speak, but when I opened my mouth to respond, nothing came out but a shaky sigh.

Toothless's expression softened slightly, but it wasn't due to pity. He almost seemed… sad. "**I'm right, aren't I?**" He asked, though he probably already knew the answer to this already.

I found myself nodding slowly before I even knew what I was doing, not trusting my own voice.

Toothless was silent for a beat, before he spoke once more. "**I want to see how you really, truly got here. No more lies, Lucina.**" He said, walking over in front of me and looking me directly in the eyes.

I felt a familiar sensation pull at the back of my mind, one that I recognized from a couple days prior when I had first met Toothless. I thought one last thing before it felt like I was being pulled through a waterfall of ice, and my vision blurred in front of me.

'No more lies…'

* * *

~Toothless~

* * *

_The familiar sensation of Sight-Sharing washed over me like a bucket of cold water, and before I knew it my vision had cleared and I was but a spectator to another's memory._

_A dark, overcast sky replaced the sunny one I was so used to, and the air around me grew thick with the stench of death. I gagged, not expecting it to be so pungent. 'Good Gods, what is that smell?!' I thought, suddenly very grateful for the fresh, clean air that Berk had._

_The first thing I noticed when my vision returned was the giant mass of blue that was swirling against the wall. It pulsed with massive amounts of Aür, sending waves of the mystical energy into the air surrounding us. I watched as Lucina ran over to a small human wearing a black coat and channeling some sort of energy into the swirling mass. 'A human… using Aür? How is that possible?' I inwardly wondered, watching memory-Lucina glance back towards what looked like a stone archway. Now that I can get a good look, it seems like she was in these strange ruins of some sort._

_The second thing I noticed was the name that Lucina had associated the human with. 'Morgan… isn't that her brother's name?' That's gotta be just some astronomical coincidence… right?_

_The third thing I noticed was that she had just spoken in a human's tongue._

"_Morgan, how are you feeling? Is everything stabilized?" She asked frantically, looking between the portal and her sibling. I saw a human hand place itself on the smaller human's shoulder in an effort to get his attention. Lucina's hand._

_It felt like my heart had just stopped._

'_She… she used to… be human…'_

_It all made sense now. Her fear of me during our first meeting. Her cluelessness as to what Berk even was._

_She used to be human._

_I didn't know what to feel anymore. Angry that she had kept this from me? Relieved that she wasn't planning anything nefarious against me and my rider? Sad because she wasn't truly one of my kind, just a human in a body that didn't belong to her?_

_I felt… hurt that she didn't trust me enough to tell me this sooner._

_Hurt that… that she'll never reciprocate my feelings._

_I didn't pay attention to the rest of the memory._

* * *

~Lucina~

* * *

My head spun as my vision suddenly returned to normal, my eyes once again my own and no longer viewing the world through another's body.

I groaned in discomfort as the unusual sensation faded away, leaving me with heavy eyes and a slight headache. "**What in Naga's name…?**" I muttered to myself, holding a paw to my forehead in an effort to steady my vision.

What had just occurred was… _strange,_ to say the very least. One second I was staring into Toothless's eyes, and the next I was staring _out _of his eyes. It was an incredibly weird sensation, seeing out of another's eyes and being a passenger in their body. The entire time I was wondering what Toothless was hoping to accomplish by showing me this, not seeing any value in a simple vision of him and Hiccup flying for a while before touching down onto a cliff.

My thoughts were interrupted by Toothless's voice. "**... Lucina…**" I heard him say. I had never heard his voice sound so small and powerless before. He sounded so hurt… it sent of wave of intense guilt down my spine. I glanced over to him, and his body language was just as bad. He was looking harshly at the ground, but his eyes had lost some of their light, like he wasn't entirely there.

"**...You used to be human?...**" He asked, though from the sound of it he already knew the answer to that question.

I winced as I realized what he had seen, the guilt I felt increasing tenfold along with a mixture of shame.

I didn't even know where to go from here. "**I… Toothless, I-**"

"**Why did you hide this from me?!**" He suddenly exclaimed, turning to look me dead in the eye. His expression was one I had seen many times before, but on the faces of soldiers that were broken from the battles we faced. On those who had just lost ones they loved. It didn't belong on such a kind dragon such as him.

"**Toothless, please, I-**" I stammered, but once again I was cut off by an angry and hurt Night Fury. I could only wonder why he was so distraught about this find.

"**You **_**what?!**_ **Why did you lie to me and Hiccup for so long?! Why did you-**"

"**BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID!**" I yelled, unable to hold back why I hadn't just told the truth from the beginning.

Toothless flinched back from my sudden outburst, most likely not expecting me to raise my voice. "**A-Afraid? Afraid of what?**" He asked, though with much less confidence than before.

I couldn't stifle the snarl that I threw at him when he asked that. If he saw what I think he saw, he should know exactly why I was so afraid! "**How would you feel if one day, you wake up and find that you've been turned into the same thing as the one who endlessly tormented you?! The one who took your parents away?!**" I ranted, my hatred for Grima leaking into my own feelings, fueling my outrage further.

"**I've been turned into the ENEMY!**" I exclaimed with fury.

A strong silence fell between us as what I had just proclaimed sank in. If it were even possible, Toothless looked even more hurt and rejected than before, that joyous light I had grown to adore now replaced with a deep sadness that made me realize what I had done, the regret and guilt now shooting down my spine stronger than ever.

"**Turned into the enemy, huh…?**" Toothless repeated back to himself, his voice hollow.

I mentally berated myself for letting my anger get the best of me, not believing that I thought that saying such an offensive thing to him was a good idea. "**I- Toothless, I didn't mean-**"

I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence. Toothless turned on a dime and suddenly dashed into the foliage behind him, his midnight-black form disappearing beyond the trees.

Sitting there in the deserted clearing, staring with guilt-ridden eyes at the spot he left through, I haven't felt this alone since the two I looked up to left this world to the next.

* * *

**Ooh, a little bit of drama here! Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger here, but at 10k words, this chapter is already long as it stands! As usual, any reviews and criticisms you have for this story is greatly appreciated and will help me improve my writing, so don't be afraid! Keep in mind I am writing this story mostly in google docs on my phone, so autocorrect can really screw me over when I get one letter in a word wrong, so please tell me when you see something like that.**

**If you want to see what happens next (and if you made it this far I'm assuming you do) hit me with a follow!**

**This is ya boy SquiddlyDiddly, signing off!**


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